Wish I Knew You When I was Young
by AokoWilliams
Summary: They finally did it! After almost five years, they finally took down Hawkmoth, but at what cost? With Hawkmoth's downfall, Ladybug and Chat Noir both disappeared from Paris. Ten years pass with a generally peaceful city, but what is left of Paris' heroes?
1. Chapter 1

Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug and Chat Noir—I Wish I Knew You When I was Young

Pairing: Adrien Agreste/Chat Noir and Marinette Dupain-Cheng/Ladybug

Genre: Romance/Drama

Rating: Generally PG-13 (However, M in one later chapter which will be separated into the PG-13 version in here and a M version in it's own separate section: "I Wish I Knew You When I was Young-Chapter 13 Mature Version") for minor language and sexual content.

Disclaimer: I do not own Miraculous Ladybug or any of its characters. All right belong to Thomas Astruc, Jeremy Zag, Zagtoons, and all their respective licenses.

Summary: They finally did it! After almost five years, they finally took down Hawkmoth, but at what cost? With Hawkmoth's downfall, Ladybug and Chat Noir both disappeared from Paris. Ten years pass with a generally peaceful city, but what is left of Paris' heroes?

A/N: This series holds spoilers to season 2. However, I want to note that I started this series after seeing the Riposte episode which will explain some inconsistencies in this series deviating from the actual season 2 episodes that aired after Riposte. Sorry for this and I hope you enjoy.

I Wish I Knew You When I was Young

Chapter 1- Never Again

"LADYBUG!" Chat Noir's voice echoed through the Louvre as she had been stabbed through the chest by an akumatized victim's weapon. "NO!"

She crumbled to the ground as he darted to pull her into his arms.

"Ladybug!? LADYBUG! Answer me, please!" He begged, holding her in his arms.

"B-bye-bye, little butterfly…" She whispered, then let her lucky charm go, "M-miraculous ladybug…"

Suddenly a wash of red encompassed the area as things repaired themselves, people with stab wounds were now injury free, and Ladybug felt breath return into her previously punctured lung. She looked up at her partner who was sobbing over her, oblivious of the repairs her magic had done. She felt tears come to her own eyes as she saw what she'd done to her partner.

Moments before she had realized the only way to get the item where the akuma was stored was to take it within her, literally. However, she knew she couldn't tell Chat Noir her plan because he'd try to stop her or worse, plan to do it himself, and if she missed retrieving it in time, the akumatized victim could escape and more people could get hurt. Still, that didn't change the trauma she saw she'd caused him. She slowly touched his face, knowing the shock was inevitable. Sure enough, he snapped out of his nightmare as he looked down at her, yelping, "Ladybug!?"

"I'm okay, Chaton… I'm okay."

"WH-WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT!?" He suddenly shouted, looking royally pissed off, a trait rather uncommon of him.

"I know… I know; I'm sorry."

"You knew what was going to happen, didn't you!?"

She didn't know what to say, and he cursed angrily, once again shocking her by his uncharacteristic actions today.

"Chaton, I'm sorry."

"You're sorry? YOU'RE SORRY!? You died in my arms a second ago! And you did it on purpose!"

"I knew it had to be done, and I couldn't bear to let you do it again." She whispered.

Suddenly a familiar chirp came from his ring and her earrings.

He sighed and grumbled, "Yah, whatever. I guess I'll see you later, My Lady."

With that, he released her gently and got up to go.

"Chat, wait!"

"No, My Lady, I've got like three minutes tops. I got t—MMPH!"

He was cut off as she grabbed him by the shoulder and pulled him down, kissing his lips with enough passion to make him freeze in his tracks.

"Wh-what was that for?"

"I'm sorry, Chaton… I'm so sorry. I couldn't see it till that moment I came back… that moment I looked into your tear-stained eyes and knew… I knew that you loved me, truly loved me… and it's also why I did what I did… because I realized in that moment that I had to be the one to do it. I needed to be the one who sacrificed something because I couldn't watch you do it one more time… I couldn't watch the man I love die again before my eyes." She sobbed out.

He froze in shock at her words, replaying them over and over again in his mind.

"Y-you love me!?"

"Yes… I'm sorry it took me this long to realize it." She muttered.

"We needed to go."

"I know; I'm sorry."

"No, I mean, _we_ need to go… now!" He growled, suddenly kissing her passionately.

She blushed but nodded.

Her knees went weak as he scooped her up in his arms, and they took off into the night. He took her to a vacant room in Le Grand Paris and made sure all the lights were off and all curtains were closed. They were bathed in darkness, so dark they could only see the other's shadow.

"I'm going to release my transformation now, okay, my lady?" He whispered, huskily in her ear.

"Okay…"

"Are you sure about this though?" He whispered.

"I've never been more certain of anything… and once we have Hawkmoth behind bars, I will turn that light on and show you who I am." She whispered, pulling his lips down to kiss her.

"I love you, My Lady."

"I love you, too, Chaton."

With that she closed her eyes as he released his transformation, just in case she could see him through the light it caused. Once they confirmed that neither could see through the darkness, she did the same. Once that barrier was gone, little stood in the way as they embraced, kissing each other with a passion as though they were afraid that either would disappear the minute they divided. She helped him shove his shirt down his arms, and he slowly reached for hers. Soon both undershirts were gone and then the pants, leaving both in just their undergarments. As she felt the warm skin of his chest against her stomach, she realized just how real this was. This was Chat Noir, the man she'd fought alongside for nearly five years at this point. This was the young man she had refused to notice because of a certain other man in her life, but after some fateful words she'd unintentionally overheard him say to another classmate about her being his "good friend," she started to drift from him.

As the years continued, she began to realize that she had placed him on a pedestal of perfection, and yet, as she became a better friend to him, she realized he wasn't perfect. He was immature at times, probably due to his sheltered lifestyle. He sometimes had a weird sense of humor that reminded her a lot of Chat Noir's due to the occasional drop of puns on his part. He was overwhelmed by everything his father expected him, and it showed occasionally as he would fight his way to enjoy a movie date amongst their group circle or real chance at a birthday party. He wasn't perfect, and she realized that she liked that about him because it made her realize that she hadn't been in love with him in a healthy way but in a crush that leveled on fantasies she'd imagined and stalkerish behavior. She realized that she did still like him; after all, her heart would never misunderstand the feeling she felt that day in the rain when he offered her his umbrella. However, maybe it wasn't enough to warrant her potentially ruining an opportunity of an incredible friendship to force her feelings upon him. So she lowered his god-like image off her pedestal, taking down the photos from her wall and the schedule from her presentation board, and in its place, she placed the lucky charm bracelet he gave her from her birthday almost four years ago next to a photo of him with Alya, Nino, and her. Why? Because that was the real Adrien, not her fallacy.

So, as the years continued, she couldn't help but like Adrien for the traits she'd fallen for in the first place, but in the moments she then realized she'd shared with Chat Noir, she encompassed a much deeper love, a genuine love, not just an attraction or crush. So she told him that she loved him, told him that she never wanted to lose him, told him that she wanted all of him, and in turn he reciprocated, giving her all of himself, short of a glimpse at his unmasked face.

They kissed and embraced and toppled around the bed like the couple of love-struck teenagers they were, and they made love.

After their afterglow, they slowly, hesitantly removed themselves from each other's arms, restored their clothes to their original places, made sure their kwamis had finished their snacks and transformed back. They kissed one last time and parted ways into the night.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2- Hawkmoth's Demise

It came like a slap in the face… the final showdown with the villainous Hawkmoth. After some careful planning and investigation the two lovers were able to stumble upon Hawkmoth's lair. Before entering in, Ladybug turned to Chat Noir and whispered, "This is it… This is the final match… and after this… I'll show you who I am at our precious spot… okay?"

"Okay, My Lady." He whispered, gently yet excited.

With the help of their fellow allies, they fought hard. He surely wouldn't give in easily as he sent out waves of akumas to his defense, but this didn't matter once they overcame the source and snatched his miraculous right off his dress shirt. He shrieked out in shock as a wave of light flashed before their eyes, and all the lay before them was a solitary man… However, that didn't stop the shock that passed over everyone's eyes. This man was no stranger to the world. He was a famous fashion designer, Gabriel Agreste!?

"N-no!? Wh-why!?" Ladybug whispered in shock before shouting, "Wh-why would you do this!? Don't you care at all about what Adrien is going to feel once this is over with!?"

"I didn't intend to have it end like this…" Gabriel whispered, bitterly but helpless.

Anger erupted in Ladybug's heart as she growled to Chat Noir, "Chat, call the police and tell them we have Hawkmoth in custody… I can't stand to sit a second more with this monster. Ch-Chat!?"  
She looked up at him and was shocked by the horror-struck expression upon his face and what looked like tears gathering in his eyes.

"Ch-Chaton, are you okay?"

"I… I… I gotta go!" He muttered before shooting out of the room much to everyone's surprise.

"Chaton!? Wait!"

That night, she waited for him in the hotel room, but he never came. She tried calling him to no avail. Over the course of the week, it was discovered that Gabriel's assistants had been involved in his scheme as well and were promptly arrested too, leaving everyone in school to wonder what would befall of Adrien Agreste. Also over the span of that week, Chat Noir did not appear again to anyone, let along Ladybug in their cherished spot.

Not long after, Adrien surprised everyone by making a public press conference a month after the events, announcing that not only was he currently in courts to become an emancipated minor (since he was still a half a year shy of his 18th birthday), but also, that in light of his father's actions, he was in the process of obtaining control of his father's shares and position in his father's company. This left everyone baffled. However, the court ruled in his favor, and Adrien left Collège Françoise Dupont to focus on his newfound responsibility. In doing so, he was too blinded by the work and grieving over his father to find himself befitting his Chat Noir persona.

On the other hand, much to everyone's surprise again, Marinette unexpectedly dropped out of school as well for unknown reasons and headed off with her grandmother Gina to travel the world. When all her friends, shy of the preoccupied Adrien, asked her parents for an explanation, all they offered up was that she had to sort out some things in her life.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3- Ten Years Later

"Mr. Agreste, your 8 o'clock called, they have to cancel the meeting because of an emergency at the fabric distribution center. Do you want me to bump your 9 o'clock up to 8?" His secretary asked, running through the daily log of appointments.

"That won't be necessary, Adeline. I think I'll use the extra hour to go grab myself a quick breakfast for a change. Can you ask my chauffer to meet me up front?" He asked.

"Of course, Mr. Agreste." She muttered, heading out to make the call.

Adrien Agreste was 28 now. He was the CEO of _Gabriel_ and had made a good name for himself, thanks to partnering up with some very talented newer designers through the years. The brand had now made headway in several internationals endeavors and was making a steady, yet substantial profit. He really didn't design so much for the line as he did market it, and though it was rather controversial, outside of the talents of the aforementioned novice designers, Adrien still received and captivated his father's own designs for the brand. _Gabriel_ had started under his father's work, and regardless of the misguided path the man had taken so many years ago, Adrien was determined to keep some of his father in the company's vision. Surprisingly, this didn't hurt profits as much as Adrien and shareholders had initially feared, and the company saw past its darkest hour ten years prior.

However, business aside, Adrien couldn't help but feel like he was still unintentionally a prisoner under his father's whim. Sure, his father had no immediate say in his life anymore. He only submitted designs to his son through visits and letters, but Adrien was now beginning to realize all that he gave up in order to keep the company afloat. Nothing filled him with regret more than the one person who hadn't left his mind in those ten years. Still, that ship had sailed years ago when he was so caught up in his own pain that he abandoned her. So, he forced a smile in front of the press, shareholders, and corporate personnel, shoving the cat so deep down within himself that the only times the world would ever glimpse at Chat Noir again was the private conversations Adrien had with his kwami. Plagg had stuck by him all these years even when he insisted that he should be returned to the master, but Plagg assured him that his business wasn't fully done till he made peace with all that had happened.

Adrien got up and headed out to the chauffer when he noticed someone out of the corner of his eye. He almost didn't recognize her as a name he hadn't muttered in so long slipped off his tongue, "M-Marinette!?"

She looked up from her phone to the source, confirming for him that she was indeed his old friend from collège. She had changed so much, though. Her signature pigtails were now gone, replaced with a much shorter flapper-girl-like bob. Her once baby face was now thin and matured into a beautiful young woman. She wore light makeup and was dressed in a simple t-shirt and jean combo with the same familiar handbag across her shoulder.

She looked at the man confused until she froze in shock, yelping, "A-Adrien Agreste!? Is that you!?"

He smiled gently at her and nodded, muttering, "It's been so long. I hardly recognized you!"

"I know, right!? What's it been… ten years or so?"

"Yah, ever since I dropped out of school."

"Yah, you and me both."

"Yah, I heard about that from Nino and Alya. They were so shocked when you suddenly left to travel the world with your grandmother, right?"

"Yah, something like that."

"Well, how have you been?"

"I've been doing well. Just been busy."

"I'm guessing involving fashion design, right? You said you wanted to become a designer someday if I recall."

"Y-yah, I kind of detoured from that goal, actually."

"R-really? I guess that makes some sense, though. I actually tried to look into your work when I was initially expanding the _Gabriel_ brand to incorporate others' work. However, I could never find you, and while I still keep in touch with Alya and Nino, they seemed as out of the loop with you as I did."

"Well, I only recently moved back to Paris, honestly. I've been living in Italy with Nonna until about a month ago."

"Oh, wow, that would explain a lot, then."

"I actually had planned to reconnect with Alya in a few days since we haven't really seen each other in ten years as well, shy of the occasional video call when I could find a café with internet connection. The village we stayed in was very quaint."

"I see. Well, it's great to see you again, Marinette. I'm sure you have something to do otherwise I'd love to spend some time catching up. I was actually just about to give myself the treat of a breakfast out."

"Well, I'd love to, but I have to do a few errands. Besides, I'm sure you're a very busy man, so I couldn't possibly take up your time."

He sighed and muttered, "Maybe we can plan a day to catch up if you are ever free."

"I'd like that very much."

"Sir, um, I'm so sorry but there's something wrong with the car." Suddenly his chauffer exclaimed, walking up to him.

"Jeez, do you have another car we could use? I have several meetings with different manufacturing plants and business people later on today!"

"I'm sorry, Sir, but the other one is in the shop currently getting its brakes refurbished. I could call for a rental service, but I can't guarantee when they'll arrive."

"Jeez, I guess I'll have to have Adeline call everyone to reschedule. That's gonna make the week a tad more complicated." Adrien sighed.

Suddenly a voice from behind him muttered, "When is your first meeting?"

He turned, realizing it was Marinette.

"U-um, 9 o'clock." He answered.

"I should be done with my errands before then. If you want, I could give you a ride to your meetings until they can get a rental car." Marinette suggested.

"I couldn't impose on you like that, Marinette."

"Nonsense, it'll give us the chance to catch up a tad, and besides, I'm off work today and don't have anywhere specifically to be until 4."

"Are you sure?"

"Of course, let me just let my passenger in the back know that we have a guest."

"P-passenger?" He muttered, confused as he followed Marinette to her car.

He froze when he saw a young girl sitting in the back of the car, scribbling in a notebook. He knew the logical thing to ask, but he was so surprised, he muttered, "Uh, do you run a babysitting service, Marinette?"

She giggled and let him in, inviting him to take the front seat. Once inside he got a clear look at the girl and froze. She didn't really resemble Marinette outside of facial structure and a familiar set of pigtails, but her eyes and hair color, reminded him of someone else.

"Adrien meet my daughter, Mirian. Mirian, meet my old classmate and friend, Adrien Agreste."

"Adrien Agreste, as in the former model and current owner of _Gabriel_!?" She yelped.

"That's the one." Marinette muttered with a smile.

"Oh my gosh, Mr. Agreste, it's amazing to meet you! My mom told me years ago about your friendship, and I am so inspired by your line's style."

"W-well, technically, I don't personally design the styles. Other designers as well as my father are still in charge of that aspect, but thank you… h-how old are you?" He asked, still in shock.

"I'm nine." She chirped.

Adrien's world froze around him as he calculated this up in his mind. That means that she had to have been conceived approximately 10 years prior, which was right around when Marinette dropped out of school.

"S-so does this mean you dropped out of school to get married?" Adrien asked, confused.

"N-no… um, I'm not married. However, I did drop out partially to raise Mirian and partially to sort out some things that happened around that time frame." Marinette admitted.

"I'm sorry. I'm being nosy. This is none of my business. It's just a shock."

"It's okay, Adrien. No one from our class knows about Mirian yet. I kind of kept that under wraps to lower questions about her father."

"S-so where is the lucky guy if you aren't married? Don't tell me he abandoned you." Adrien asked, suddenly very protective toward the fact that his friend seemed to be doing this completely alone.

"S-sort of but not really."

"I don't understand."

"Papa disappeared around the same time Mama was going to tell him she was pregnant." Mirian suddenly interrupted.

"Eh? You don't know where he went? Have you tried looking for him?" Adrien asked Marinette, shocked.

"Mama doesn't know his real name or what he fully looks like?" Mirian added.

Adrien was royally confused by that statement until Marinette finally sighed and said, "Mirian, please, stop. We've talked about this. You can't tell people who your father is. Aside from the fact that no one would believe you… it brings into question how I met him and was able to have you."

"Yah, but isn't this the guy who you were worried everyone would assume was my father in his place. Isn't he the reason we hid for so long because you were scared you'd cause a scandal or something if people believed he was my father?"

"Yes, but that doesn't mean you can just up and tell him who your father is. It's been ten years since I've seen Adrien. I don't want to overwhelm him anymore than I probably already have."

"Marinette, it's okay. I can understand why others would think I was Mirian's father due to the timing and her physical traits, but you didn't have to go through all this just for me. You mean to tell me you dropped out of school, gave up designing, and moved to Italy just because you were worried people would think I was your child's father!? Marinette, I'm so sorry you would ever think I was so important that you'd do all that for me…" Adrien muttered, shocked.

Marinette sighed and started the car, muttering, "I have to get this little one to school, and then we can talk more about this, Adrien. I'm not going to throw off your schedule because of this."

"Marinette, this is obviously more important than some meetings. I can cancel… I'm more concerned about you… You're the most selfless person I've ever met for you to go through all this for my sake."

"I couldn't burden you with this, Adrien. I know you think it probably was silly on my part, but you have to understand. You were crushed by your father's actions, and you hid that under taking over his company. I could tell, so when I realized that there was a chance my baby would potentially resemble you thanks to her father's appearance as well as the timeline of people around me who could potentially be her father, I couldn't bear to make you go through that, too, over a misunderstanding. And I was right to do so because as soon as Mirian was born, my own parents and grandmother almost believed you were her father if it weren't for me telling them about her real father."

"Marinette, if something like that had really gotten so scandalous, I could have simply done a DNA test or something to prove to the press that I wasn't, but even then, I wouldn't have cared because it's just gossip. It definitely wasn't something worth you giving up your life and dreams for."

"Well to me it was, and besides, I also went with Nonna because I really did need to sort some things out. I really needed to come to terms with the fact that I was going to be a mom and find out how to support her."

"But here's what I don't understand… how do you not know her father's real name? And what do you mean that you don't really know what he looks like. If you assumed that Mirian would resemble me, then surely you had to know what he looks like."

"He always wore a mask." Mirian suddenly piped up.

"Mirian!"

"What?"

Adrien froze at the little girl's words as Marinette sighed heavily and muttered, "Jeez… fine, Mirian's father is Chat Noir… that's why I can't tell you his real name, what he really looks like, or where he is."


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4- The Truth

Adrien still hadn't fully recovered from Marinette's words as they sat down in a café, drinking coffee and eating breakfast pastries. It all suddenly clicked into place with her admission: the timeline of Marinette's pregnancy, Chat Noir's disappearance and broken promise, Ladybug's disappearance a mere month or so later, and ten years of silence from either superhero. It all clicked.

"A-are you Ladybug?" Adrien asked her, quietly.

She seemed only somewhat surprised at his question and muttered, "You were always so smart, Adrien, putting two-and-two together so quickly."

He couldn't help but feel a wave of emotions as he realized exactly what all that meant. Marinette had been His Lady. Marinette, who sat behind him for all those years, had been the love of his life. Not only that, but she had loved him as Chat Noir, making love to him that night so long ago. Marinette had been the woman behind the mask who he held so dearly through the night. And yet… he abandoned her. So racked with anger and pain over his father's actions, he had caved in on himself, hiding from the world behind his newfound company, and in the meantime, Marinette had taken on the responsibility of their night of passion all alone. She protected not just Adrien's name by hiding but Chat Noir's as well. While Adrien became one of the wealthiest men in France, Marinette had given up everything: her home, her friends, her dreams… all to protect him.

Now as he sat before her in this café, he didn't know what to do. He was so scared that if he told her the truth now, she would leave him like he had done to her. Sure, he didn't know that she was pregnant, but that didn't change the fact that he left without a proper "good-bye," let alone an explanation. She would be furious as she would have every right to be. Furthermore, so much time had passed between them that they were practically strangers. How could he just tell her that he was Chat Noir, the father of her child, and the man who had loved her for almost 15 years, even after being separated from her? He had to think of how to fix this, but he knew that it wouldn't be an instant repair, unlike her miraculous's magic. He had to get to know her better, and ease into it. God-willing, he might be able to mend the damage he'd done so many years ago.

"So Adrien, you have a meeting at 9, right? We better get going if we're gonna get you there in time." Marinette muttered, interrupting him from his thoughts.

"Oh, um, right… Th-thanks again for doing this, Marinette, and I promise that I'll pay you for the gas you had to use to cart me around."

"Don't worry about it, Adrien. I'm happy to help. You were always a good friend to me. It's the least I can do."

"I don't know about that…" Adrien muttered. "It felt like half the time, we never got to have much of a real conversation until the last few years."

"I'm sorry about that, Adrien… admittedly that was my own fault." Marinette muttered, suddenly blushing.

"Wh-what do you mean?" Adrien asked, surprised by her reaction.

"Gosh, this is embarrassing to say… To tell you the truth… back then I had such a massive crush on you that I let it get to my head, and I could never seem to form a cohesive sentence when I was around you, let alone a proper conversation."

"Wh-What!?" He muttered, shocked.  
"I know; it's pretty silly, right? Poor Alya had to deal with my childish behavior all the time because of it. Between the model photos of you I had on my wall or the time I left an embarrassing voicemail on your phone so I literally stole it so I could erase it." Marinette groaned, bright red.

Adrien was so utterly shocked by all this, realizing that the reason Ladybug had been so hesitant to accept her feelings for Chat Noir was due to the feelings she felt for his civilian self. This image made him burst out in laughter, causing Marinette to whine, "Jeez, please, don't laugh at me that hard. I know it was goofy, but I couldn't help it at the time."

"N-no, I'm sorry, Marinette, I wasn't laughing at you, I swear. I'm just surprised. Wait; photos on your wall… I don't recall seeing those when I would come over."

"I would hide them anytime you came over… But eventually I realized that my feelings for you were somewhat warped by my own image of what you were, so I took them down. I realized that I had sort of idolized you instead of simply liking you, so I decided that I should be a true friend and just focus on getting to know you better instead of trying to date you."

"Gosh, I was so oblivious, Marinette. I'm sorry; I never noticed that you liked me."

"It's okay, Adrien. It's been so long, don't worry about it."

"Well, I'm flattered, knowing that such a lovely, sweet young lady such as you would like a dork like me."

"You were only a dork whenever you'd copy Chat Noir's tendency to make puns." Marinette snickered.

"Hey, I thought my puns were rather paw-some." He teased.

"Oh gosh, don't." She laughed, "It reminds me so much of him when you do that."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be, Adrien. I still love him… I even named Mirian after him."

"Huh?"

"Well, I changed it slightly to make it less obvious, but I always called Chat Noir, 'Chaton,' so I combined the phrase that brought us together in the first place, 'Miraculous' with the '-on' from my pet name for him. Though, thinking about it more, I guess the name choice is even more suspicious compared to yours since Mirian sounds more like 'Adrien' than 'Chaton'… sorry about that."

"Don't be. It's a beautiful name."

"Thanks… Someday, I hope I'll see him again… Throughout the years, I've dreamt of the day that he'd just come strolling back onto the streets of Paris, waiting for me. I guess that's a tad too much to wish for, though. I just want to tell him about Mirian. He has a right to know about his daughter after all. If I ever get to see him again, I just hope he'll love her as much as I do… even if he no longer loves me."

"Never." Adrien muttered.

"Eh?"

"Err, I mean, I can't imagine him giving up on you that easily… from what I've understood about him."

"Well, I can dream… Anyway, enough talk about the one that got away. What about you? You have a special someone in your life? I don't really keep up with gossip magazines on you in Italy, and Alya only tells me so much."

"No, I'm too busy for romance… besides, admittedly, I've had a lady on my mind for the past 15 years… as much as I want to, I've never been able to fully get past her."

"I kind of figured."

"Huh?"

"I don't know, once I stopped being blinded by 'puppy love' for you, I couldn't help but get the feeling that you were in love with someone, but I never really pieced together who she was."

"I… It's kind of embarrassing to talk about."

"That's fine. I won't force it out of you. We've got 10 years' worth of catching up to do; I don't expect you to spill all the nitty-gritty details in one day." Marinette said with a wink.

He chuckled and muttered, "Well, I guess, we ought to get going to my first meeting."

"Okay. Sounds like a plan to me." She said with a smile that brought him back to his collège days.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5- Getting to Know You

As Adrien went back in CEO mode, he went through the meeting with ease, but he couldn't help but be a tad distracted by Marinette's presence in the neighboring room. After the meeting, he gave her the nickel tour of the distribution center and explained some of the businesses inner-workings to her. She seemed very interested, making Adrien curious, "S-so if you don't work in fashion, what do you do?"

"I'm a barista in a café just down the street in the weekdays, and on the weekends, I work in a hospital in stocking." Marinette explained.

"Eh? You work two jobs?"  
"Yah, it's been hard affording an apartment out here now that I'm not living with Nonna anymore. If worst comes to worst, we may just move back in with my folks for a tad. They just don't exactly have a lot of room in that apartment, and I don't want to burden them. It's just tiring. Today's the first day in two weeks I've been off." Marinette muttered.

"Are you kidding me!? And it's wasted carting me around!? I'm so sorry."

"No, no, don't be, Adrien. I'm more than happy to help. I was probably just gonna hang around the house in my pjs anyway. It's nice to get out for a change."

"Y-yah, admittedly, I haven't had a full day off in months."

"Jeez, and here, you are concerned about me."

"Yah, but I'm not raising a child as well as managing another job on top of it. Though my position lately has felt like multiple jobs."

"It sounds like the two of us could use a vacation." Marinette teased.

"Yah, really." Adrien muttered.

"So, to the next meeting?"

Adrien thought about it for a second, looking at his tablet with his schedule and suddenly muttered, "No, actually… I'm freeing my schedule."

"Eh? What!?"

"You said it yourself, we need a vacation. So let's go, metaphorically of course."

"Adrien, you don't have to do that for my sake."

"I am, and I'm not. Come on, let's have fun for once… just like we were seventeen again!" He insisted, making her blush. "Please, Marinette."

"N-no, anything but the babydoll eyes." She teased, giggling.

He chuckled, recognizing the reference to Marinette's old babysit client, Manon.

"If I knew it was that simple, I would have tried it earlier." He teased, absentmindedly wondering if it would've worked as Chat Noir.

First they headed out and saw a movie. It was some goofy romance which made Marinette tease him, saying that ten years ago she would've been picturing him and herself in the characters roles. Adrien laughed at this and teased her back, grabbing her hand and muttering, "So, Mademoiselle Marinette, you'd even wear that corseted dress on our date, passing out in the process?"

"Ten years ago, definitely. Now, you're lucky if I'll wear a dress for you, period." She winked, causing them to laugh until a couple behind them hushed them.

"I guess they didn't appreciate our love for one another." He teased.

"I guess not." She giggled quieter for their sake. "And you gotta stop, Casanova, otherwise I might have to make another 'Adrien Agreste" tribute wall.'"

He chuckled and whispered, "Who's to say I don't have one of those back home in my room, Ladybug."

She turned bright red at this and smack his arm, groaning, "Don't tell me you had a celebrity crush on the Bug?"

"I think most of us would say so." He admitted, blushing slightly at confessing it.

"Aw, that's really sweet. Sorry to disappoint you with the realization that it was klutzy ol' me."

He was about to protest against this till they earned another "hush" from the couple behind them, and promptly closed his mouth.

After the movie, they caught a meal at a restaurant nearby.

"So, um… gosh, that explains a lot why you were always late and sneaking away during class." Adrien muttered, hoping to return to their previous conversation during the movie.

"Eh? Oh because of LB… yah, I'm lucky my folks were so patient. I think I only got in trouble a handful of times because of it. Now that they know who I was, they were more forgiving. Though, they were very worried about all the times Chat Noir and I put ourselves in danger." Marinette confessed.

"So they know…"

"Yes, I couldn't tell them who Mirian's father was without them piecing that together just like you did. While Chat Noir has rescued me a few times as Marinette, there was no proof of a definitive connection strong enough for us to make love."

"That makes sense… but if you tell others about Mirian's father won't you be outed to a lot of people that you are Ladybug?"

"I only plan to tell close friends who Mirian's father is. To strangers, I'm just gonna say it was an undisclosed man I met in Italy. Hopefully that will lower the chances of people assuming that you are her father just because of timing and your appearance."

"You don't have to go through all that trouble, Marinette. If someone tries to push me on it, I'll just laugh it off. No need to hide out in Italy again, okay?"

She sighed but nodded.

"Don't feel bad or anything… I think it's beautiful how much you wanted to protect me during one of my darkest times, but that doesn't mean that I don't regret indirectly causing you to give up a lot of your dreams to do so. I know you said that you had to sort things out to, but I know that I'm partially to blame."

"No, none of this is your fault, Adrien. Just like it's not your fault that Hawkmoth turned out to be your father. It's more the fault of fate and timing. Anyway, speaking of Hawkmoth… how is your father? You said that he is still designing for the brand, right?"

"Yah, he's doing… okay, I guess. I tend to keep my visits brief and rather business formal."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be. I want to say he's changed and has regretted his actions, but I don't think that's fully true… Did you ever learn why he did all this?"

"Not really… I left shortly after and to be honest, I tried to avoid any news related to Hawkmoth, trying more to find news on Chat."

"That's understandable. Well… he had gained the butterfly miraculous years ago and its kwami, Nooroo told him that when the two miraculouses, the Ladybug and the Black Cat, are combined then the user gains an ultimate power in the form of a wish. He wanted to use it to make my mother return…"

"I… I guess that makes sense, but he's got a twisted way in going towards that. Besides, did he know the cost of doing that?"

"Cost?"

"The master who gave me the Ladybug miraculous told me about it years ago… When this wish is granted, to balance the universe, something is taken in exchange. So in order for him to receive his wife back, someone else would disappear in her place." Marinette explained.

"You met the master in charge of the miraculouses!?"

"Yes, he healed my kwami once when she fell ill. F-furthermore, there's something I have to confess to you. You know years ago how your father was akumatized?"

"Yes, he told me how he managed that by simply sending out an akuma, releasing his form and accepting the akuma so he'd fall out of suspicion." Adrien explained.

"Well… do you recall the reason he claimed to be akumatized?"

"Because I stole and lost some book of his… He was going to force me to be homeschooled again due to it."

"Um… the reason you lost the book was my fault."

"Eh!?"

"See, back then Lila had first stolen it to try and find out how to use it to earn your affection. After she was done with it, she threw it in the trash. So I retrieved it and got so caught up jealousy and anger at how she was using me to lie to you that I hurt her in the process… Well, afterwards, my kwami, Tikki insisted that this book was very sacred and had been lost years ago. She made me return it to the master."

"Th-then how did it get back to my father? That's the only reason he let me go back to school."

"The master decided for your sake to take pictures of the book with his phone so he would have it, and then I promptly returned it to your father, claiming that I thought it was a portfolio of pictures with you. Ugh, there was nothing worse than having to confess to your father that I liked you. He thought I was some sort of stalker fangirl."

"Oh, Marinette, you're too sweet. He never told me."

"I asked him not to. I'm surprised he kept his word, but I guess it wouldn't be of any advantage to him to tell you."

"True, Father does tend to view things from a personal gain mindset. Anyways… I don't believe he knew about that equivalent exchange thing… gosh, it's a good thing he never succeeded. It's cool that you got to meet the master. My father obviously never did. I… I wonder if Chat Noir ever met him." Adrien muttered, mentally wondering why Plagg never introduced them.

"I don't actually know. He never gave any indication of if he did or not. I really didn't know too much of Chat Noir's personal life outside of our personas. I knew that he loved me, obviously, but most of the other things were more fun facts."

"Err, like what?" Adrien asked, nervous of her memory.

"I know he knew several languages, including Morse code. He could fence. He liked video games and wasn't camera shy. He was allergic to feathers and loved puns. I know it's not much for as long as I knew him, but he wasn't always open to sharing. Plus, sometimes I couldn't tell if he was joking or serious."

"I guess that makes sense. You two were trying to protect each other by not revealing your identities to each other till the end."

"Anyways, can we talk about something else? No offense, but if we keep talking about Ladybug people might hear the association between me and Ladybug. I really don't want half of Paris knowing who was behind the mask."

"Of course, I'm sorry."

"No, it's okay. It's nice to be honest with someone. I know my parents know, but I don't exactly tell them about the more dangerous stories or about my relationship with Chat Noir on a more intimate level. You saw how they can get when it comes to my life and meddling."

"Yah, but it's nice how supportive your parents are of you."

"True. So, you said you've kept in touch with Nino and Alya. How about any of the others?"

"Not really. I think I ran into Nathaniel about two years ago in a grocery store. Chloe still calls a lot, but she has been busy since she got married to some rich diplomat and winery owner from Bordeaux. Oh, though, Max has worked with me before on platforming our website and some technological advancement in fabric production. He has been a huge help in increasing productivity."

"Good to hear. I was wondering what ever happened to our class after I left."

"I think Alya kept in better touch with them since she actually has some time for friends. She started working for a local newspaper after all."

"Yep, she made a decent name for herself thanks to her blog."

"Well, we've seen a movie and ate some lunch. Now what?"

"We could go to the zoo, or we could go to the Louvre."

"Sure, which one would you prefer?"

"Hm... how about we go to the Louvre, and when Mirian gets out of school, we could take her to zoo. Of course, if you want to spend that much time with me… Surely, you want to enjoy your day off a tad by yourself."

"Nope, I've had enough of being by myself. Of course, if you get tired of me, just let me know."

"I somehow doubt that would ever happen, Adrien." She giggled, then blushed realizing her words.

He blushed wondering how he never really realized her feelings towards him, or how he never really realized how beautiful and amazing she was without the mask. She was amazing as Ladybug, but she was equally amazing as Marinette, be it a tad clumsy at times.

"S-so Louvre you go want to—err, I mean, go Louvre want you to—err, what is wrong with me suddenly?" Adrien stuttered out.

Marinette couldn't help but burst out laughing muttering, "You sound just like me when we were in collège. Yes, let's go to the Louvre, Adrien."

He chuckled, sheepishly and followed her to the car. 'Gosh, am I gonna start doing that with her now that I know about both sides of her? No, Adrien, calm down, you aren't 17 anymore; you're a grown man.' He mentally coached himself, practically hearing Plagg chuckling from his jacket pocket. 'Shut up, Plagg… jeez, what a day.'

As they walked around the museum, admiring all the paintings and artifacts, Marinette giggled, recalling memories of fights back in there.

"Remember when you were under attack from Kagami who was akumatized as Riposte? Gosh, that scared me so much when you weren't in the sarcophagus she cut up, but it's a good thing because she could've killed you."

"True… father told me that he tried to distract Kagami from hurting me with getting the miraculous, but she was rather relentless."

"Jeez, great to know he had some sense of protectiveness, but to me, he shouldn't have akumatized her in the first place knowing that you were her primary target."

"Yah… I guess it's good I had such a great guardian angel on my side." He muttered with a wink.

She blushed and shoved him lightly, "What did I say about acting charming, Mr. Agreste?"

He chuckled and looked at his watch, muttering, "We should go. It's almost four."

"Oh wow, time sure flies when you're having fun." She giggled.

He chuckled and nodded as they headed out.

At the school, they pulled up, but Mirian was taking some time coming out, so they decided to go inside and get her.

Adrien noticed some of the kids' shocked expressions at seeing him there, but he ignored it. He was kind of used to the "celebrity reaction" he got from people.

"Excuse me, Louis, but do you know where Mirian is?" Marinette asked a certain boy.

"Oh, Ms. Dupain-Cheng, hi, hm… let me check the classroom. That's where I last saw her." He muttered.

"Thanks, Louis."

"One of her classmates, I presume?" Adrien asked.

"That and one of her closest friends since we moved back. To be honest, I think she might have a little crush on him."

"Eh!? She's only 9 years old." Adrien muttered, suddenly feeling overprotective.

"Exactly, that's why it's so cute. She's so innocent about it."

"I guess…"

"Oh and don't worry about Louis, he comes from a very sweet family. They actually own the café I work at which is where they first met."

"Well, I guess as long as he's a good kid." Adrien grumbled.

"Jeez, Adrien, you sound like an overprotective father." Marinette teased, making him flinch at being caught.

"Err, I guess because of everything I've learned, I'm feeling a tad protective of you and Mirian."

"Well that's sweet of you, Adrien."

"Here she is, Ms. Dupain-Cheng." Louis muttered, as he gently pulled the young girl with him.

"Jeez, Louis, I was trying to get notes from Emma on the history project since I entered the school so late, I don't have all the resources."

"Your mom was looking for you. Besides, I'm sure Emma can just photocopy them and email you." He muttered.

"Fine… M-Mr. Agreste, what are you doing here? I thought Mama would have dropped you off by now."

"That was the plan, but we decided to just cancel those plans and spend the day catching up. It has been ten years since I last saw your mom after all."

"Mr. Agreste!? As in the CEO of _Gabriel_ , son of Hawkmoth, and the guy who looks like you father!?" Louis asked, shocked.

"He's not my father, Louis; I already told you, my papa is a man from Italy Mama met, but yes, the rest is true." Mirian whined.

"Besides, I really don't like to think too much about my father's jaded past. I'd prefer to keep the first half of that introduction to be honest, young man."

"Sorry, Sir, that was impolite of me. It's just that Mirian was mentioning it to me today. I never expected to meet you in person though."

"It's fine, Louis, was it?"

"Yes, Sir, Louis Augustin…"

"Nice to meet you. Well, Mirian, your mother and I were planning on going to the zoo before ending this rendezvous. Want to join?"

"Totally… let me just get my bag which I left in the classroom before Louis rudely yanked me away." Mirian teased.

"Aw, sorry, did I ruffle your feathers, My Lady?" He shot back, making Adrien flinch.

"What did you just call her?"

"M-my lady… sorry, I just… I'm a big fan of Chat Noir and Ladybug. I know they were before my time, but I've always admired them. So, Mirian and I tend to teasingly call each other by their pet names."

"Yah, I call him, 'Kitty' occasionally."

"Well, okay, then… Let's get going, Mirian."

"Okay, Mr. Agreste. Bye, Louis. See you tomorrow, Chaton." She said with a wink.

"See ya, My Lady." He chuckled, walking away.

"Jeez, that was weird." Adrien grumbled.

"I know, right? It's like looking in a distorted mirror. The little bluenette is over there playing Chat and the little blonde is playing Ladybug…" Marinette giggled.

"So, do you like this Louis boy?" Adrien asked Mirian once he was out of ear shot.

"What!? No, he's just a good friend."

'Oh gosh, she's my daughter alright…' He mentally sighed. "Well, let's get going."


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6- Being a Father and a Friend

"So Mirian, what do you want to be when you grow up?" Adrien asked as they admired all the different animals.

"I wanna be a baker! Just like Grandma and Grandpa." Mirian explained.

"Wow, so does that mean you bake as good as your mother?"

"Adrien, I'm not that good." Marinette groaned.

"You made some killer macarons at Chloe's party. Remember?" He asked.

"Yah, with my father's recipe. Besides, if I recall, you said it was as good as my dancing."

"Yah because you are a good dancer."

"I was so surprised when you just whisked me off onto the dance floor. Gosh, then Alya, the little wingman that she is, comes flouncing over and pushing us closer together." Marinette laughed, blushing from the memory.

"Don't tell me… she knew about your crush?"

"I'm pretty sure the whole school did aside from you."

"Jeez, I really was oblivious, wasn't I?"

"Maybe, but again you had feelings for someone else after all. Who did you like? You said you had a crush on the Bug, but I'm guessing it wasn't her."

"Err… it's kind of embarrassing to talk about."

"Well, if you still like her then you should seek her out, right?"

"It's not that simple… um, I sort of disappointed her ten years ago, and she left… As much as I'd like to, I feel like I should make things right first." He admitted.

Mirian stared at him suddenly very closely, making him wonder if she had read between the lines on his statement.

"Mr. Agreste?"

"You can just call me, Adrien, if you'd like?" Adrien muttered.

"F-fine, A-Adrien… nope, seems too informal. Mr. Agreste, what did you think of my father? You met him a few times, right?" She asked.

"Err… yes, I did, but I don't know… he seemed like such a show-off, but he tried his best to protect the city, so I guess that's all that matters."

"I thought you admired him." Marinette muttered.

"Why did you think that, Marinette?"

"Because when I helped him out against Evillustrator, afterwards you were asking me what I thought of working alongside him. You seemed so interested to know what I thought of him."

Adrien blushed, causing Mirian to look at him with that suspicious look again.

"I guess I was so surprised that you actually got to see him. I think we were all awe-struck by them back then. Towards the end though, with them both suddenly disappearing as soon as Hawkmoth was taken down, I didn't know what to think of Chat Noir. Plus, I really didn't have the time to dwell on him, considering I had a business to take care of at that point."

"You seem disappointed in him…" Marinette muttered.

"Knowing that he abandoned you when you were with child… it makes me disappointed in him."

"Well, he didn't know I was pregnant after all."

"True, he still disappeared from your life… It makes me upset."

"I guess that makes sense, but please, don't be angry at him, Adrien. I've forgiven him, and he gave me the most amazing daughter I could ever ask for. I have no regrets outside of never getting to tell him about her. Like I said, I still love him."

"M-Marinette… um, th-the truth is—." Adrien started till his phone suddenly went off. "Jeez, sorry, I gotta take this. One second."

"Go ahead; Mirian, why don't we go take a photo by the panther?"

"Okay, Mama."

"Hello?"

"Mr. Agreste, I wanted to call to let you know that the driver managed to fix the car if you would like us come pick you up."

"Err… n-no, that won't be necessary. I'm still with Ms. Dupain-Cheng and her daughter. When I'm done, I will either call or I'll just walk."

"Walk!? Are you sure, Sir?"

"Yes, Adeline, it's good for the body." He chuckled.

"Very well, Sir, just let me know if I need to call the chauffer."

"Of course, for now you should take a break."

"A… a break, Sir?"

"Yes, it's also good for the body. I won't be back anytime soon and since all the meetings were rescheduled, you should go get some dinner or something."

"Th-thank you, Sir."

"Good-bye, Adeline."

"Bye, Mr. Agreste… enjoy your time with Ms. Dupain-Cheng and her daughter."

"Thanks." He muttered, hanging up.

With that he went back to Marinette and Mirian.

"Do you need to go back?"

"No, it was just my assistant calling to let me know that the car was repaired."

"Well, that's good to know. You know you don't have to hang around us if you have places to be."

"Marinette, there is nowhere else I'd rather be at the moment." He said, rather frankly.

She blushed but nodded, muttering, "W-we're gonna take a photo by the panther, want to use those old modeling chops and join it?"

He chuckled and nodded following her over to the display. With the help of some tourists who offered to take the photo, they positioned themselves with Mirian in the middle and the picture was taken. The tourist handed Marinette her phone back and then said with a smile, "You are such a cute family."

Marinette blushed, yelping, "He not… we're not."

"It's okay, Marinette, forget about it." He said, blushing.

"Jeez, see what I mean. People see us by each other and boom, you're official a father." Marinette groaned.

He chuckled and muttered, "Well, it's a compliment."

"Eh?"

"Marinette, for people to think that not only are we close enough to have had Mirian but that we're a happy family is a nice picture, be it a fantasy. I'd be honored to have such an amazing woman as you as the mother of my child."

She turned bright red and said, "W-well, it's starting to get cold, we should be headed home."

"Mama, can we rent a movie tonight?" Mirian asked, pointing at a rental movie kiosk.

"I… I guess… but you still have school tomorrow, so as soon as it's over you need to go to bed."

"That's fine, come on, Mr. Agreste, help me pick one out."

"Err, sure, Mirian…"

"What type of movie would you like to see?"

"Why? I'm not watching it, so you should pick something you and your mother would like."

"Yes, you are, right? D-don't you wanna watch a movie with us?" She asked with the puppy-dog eyes.

"Jeez, you're almost as bad as Manon, but I couldn't intrude on your personal time, Mirian."

"Mama, please, can he come over? Please."

"I don't know, Mirian. He must be exhausted from today, and besides, I'm not sure our roommates would be welcoming to a guest."

"Please, Mama, PLEEEASE!" She whined.

"Stop whining, Mirian. If you want him to come, ask him properly." Marinette insisted, sighing.

"Mr. Agreste, would you like to come over to our home for dinner and a movie?"

"Hey, how did you fit dinner into that invitation!?" Marinette giggled.

"I wanna try a new recipe, and it feeds four. I'd rather give some to him than those ungrateful people in the house."

"Mirian!?"

"What!? They are! They eat our food without asking most of the time!"

"It's their house so they are allowed to eat from their refrigerator, Mirian."

"Yah, but they take my snacks too."

"I know, and I'm sorry, Mirian… You know I always replace them though."

"I know…"

"It's just till we can find a better place, Mirian."

"I hope we find one soon." Mirian groaned.

"Be grateful, Mirian. At least we are only minutes from civilization versus hours like before in Italy."

"Yah, but at least our neighbors were nice out there."

"True…"

"Um, to answer your question, Mirian, I'd love to, but I'd hate to impose."

"I wouldn't let her invite you if you were imposing." Marinette explained.

"O-okay, sure. I'd be honored to spend the evening with you two."

"Yay!" Mirian said, pulling him back towards the kiosk. "Now pick a movie."

"Err… how about this one?"

"You're into sappy romances?"

"Admittedly, I'm a sucker for a happy ending." He muttered.

"Mama, your friend is funny." Mirian giggled.

"He is indeed."

"Hey!" He chuckled as they paid and headed out.

As they reached the house that Mirian and Marinette lived in, Adrien was in shock by how small it was. It looked like it was maybe a two to three bedroom house tops. As they entered, Adrien froze at the barking of dogs and a baby crying.

"Mrs. Durand, we're coming in." Marinette called.

"Jeez, where have you been, Ms. Dupain-Cheng!?" A female voice growled from the adjacent room.

"We were out with a friend."

"I'm hoping you mean a friend of Mirian's, because if it's your friend, need I remind you that you have responsibilities."

"I took care of all the household chores yesterday, Mrs. Durand."

"And the grocery shopping?"

"I do that on Tuesday, Mrs. Durand, not Mondays."

"Fine, but the boys are wondering where those croissants are that you buy."

"You mean Mirian's after school snacks?" Marinette muttered, rolling her eyes.

"Yah, those ones."

"If they are all gone, it means your boys ate more than one each a day because I just bought some yesterday."

"They're growing boys, Ms. Dupain-Cheng."

"I'm sure. For now, Mirian, our guest, and I are going up to see a movie in our room."

"A guest!? You brought a guest over without asking me!?"

"I texted you before we got here, Mrs. Durand."

"No, you didn—oh, here is. Fine, go ahead. Wait, who is it? Louis again?"

"No, it's a friend of mine. The one I was out with today."

"Let me get a look at her. Is it this Alya you mentioned before?" The woman said, coming around the corner and freezing at the sight of Adrien.

"Oh, it's a man!? Ms. Dupain-Cheng, I would suggest that you be cautious lest you end up in the same situation you started out in." She growled.

Adrien held back his anger at this woman's attitude and muttered like a perfect gentleman, "Thank you so much for allowing me to come over, Mrs. Durand. My name is Adrien Agreste. Ms. Dupain-Cheng is an old friend from collège."

"Adrien Agreste!? As in the CEO of _Gabriel_!?"

"That's right."

"Err, I didn't realize Ms. Dupain-Cheng had such refined friends."

"Well, I think she's far more refined than me, but thanks for the compliment."

"Well, I'll leave you three be. Ethan and Thomas need to take their baths and go to bed, and I need to go calm down Colette."

"Bye, Mrs. Durand."

With that, the woman was gone.

"Come on, I'll show you to our room while Mirian starts on her recipe." Marinette muttered.

"They ate all my croissants." Mirian whimpered.

"I know, Mirian; I'm sorry. I'll buy you some more tomorrow, and I'll hide them in our room this time."

"Thanks, Mama."

"Okay, come along, Adrien." Marinette gestured to him as they headed upstairs.

"The lady has three children and you two in this house!?" Adrien asked, shocked.

"Yah…" Marinette muttered, walking past the main rooms on the second floor, confusing Adrien till she pulled on a cord revealing a ladder-staircase. "Here we are."

As they walked up, Adrien was shocked, realizing their room was an attic. Marinette had made it look as quaint as possible, but it made Adrien even more concerned for her.

"Why are you living here!?"

"The rent is cheap…"

"It better be! This place is garbage!" Adrien growled.

"Adrien, please don't insult our home."

"Marinette, this isn't a home… it's an attic above some of the most unhospitable hosts I've ever met. Mrs. Durand is so nosy and rude, and her children eat the food you purchase with no qualms!? Plus, how do you sleep with a baby screaming like that."

"She gets to Colette eventually… though, sometimes I go and check up on her just so we can all get back to sleep faster."

"Jeez and where is Mr. Durand in all this?"

"He ran off with her dentist a few months ago."

"Jeez, then she had no right to be judgmental of you for not having a husband around."

"It's just till we find another place."

"You just found it! Come on; get Mirian, and we're going to my home… Tomorrow, I'll call someone to come collect your things."

"Eh!?"

"Marinette, I can't leave you in a place like this. You deserve better, especially considering I'm half of the reason you're in this mess."

"Adrien, I don't know… you live in the old Agreste mansion, right?"

"Yah…"

"I'm not sure I want to go back to that place… that's the last place I ever saw Chat Noir."

"Marinette, I've renovated it and took out everything my father put in it to make it more of a home than a prison. Please, I just can't bear to watch you in a place like this."

"I couldn't do that to you, Adrien."

"Too bad, because unless you can give me a real reason why you can't, then I'm snatching you both up and taking you there before you can finish that witch's name. Gosh, and I thought Chloe was a brat…"

"I… um…"

"Got nothing?"

"People will seriously think that you are Mirian's father, and worse, they might assume we're a couple."

"If that upsets you, then I can make an official statement; otherwise, I do not care." He muttered.

"B-but shouldn't Mirian get a say in this?"

"She hates it here, Marinette! You heard her…"

"Mama, what's going on?" Mirian suddenly appeared.

"Mirian!?"

"I could hear you clear from the kitchen… also, um, I think that Mrs. Durand could, too."

"Oh, so my place is garbage, huh?" Mrs. Durand muttered from the staircase. "Maybe, you would prefer to leave my household as early as tomorrow afternoon, Ms. Dupain-Cheng."

"Mrs. Durand! He didn't mean—."

"Enough, I want you gone by tomorrow."

"Better yet, she'll be out of here tonight and her things will be gone by noon tomorrow at the latest!" Adrien growled. "Come on, Mirian, collect some things for tonight. You too, Marinette."

"Adrien, you are lucky that you are handsome and charming; otherwise, I'd wring your neck!" Marinette growled.

"Your welcome." He smirked.

"How am I supposed to afford paying rent to you!?" She growled.

"I'm not charging you rent, Marinette."

"I can't stay with you for free."

"Why not?"

"Then, I really am just imposing."

"Fine, we'll figure something out later. For now, get some stuff for tonight, and let's go."

"Very well. Mirian, get some pjs and clothes for tomorrow. We'll get the rest tomorrow."

"Really!? We're leaving. YAY!"

"Mirian, stop. Be polite." Marinette reminded.

"Err… right… bye, Mrs. Durand. Thank you for letting us stay here the past month." She muttered, running up the stairs to get her things.

Marinette sighed and followed her as she collected some toiletries and clothes for the night.

"Oh, Mirian, don't forget your ingredients for the meal tonight." Adrien reminded.

"Eh!? She can't take our food." Mrs. Durand growled.

"You mean the food Marinette purchased with her own money? Do you really want to test me on this one, Madam? I have a lot of lawyers." He said with an "innocent" smile.

"V-very well… go ahead, Mirian." Mrs. Durand grumbled.

Once they had everything, they headed out.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7- A Happy Home

"Welcome to my home, Mirian." Adrien explained, welcoming her inside.

"Oh my gosh!? It's a mansion!" Mirian yelped, walking into the elaborate entryway.

"Well, at least it's more warmly decorated." Marinette mumbled, looking at the more yellow toned walls and brighter artwork in the place of all the white and greys and sad looking portrait of Adrien with his father.

"Yah, I figured Father's old style was a tad too Hawkmoth-like. Come on, I'll show you guys to your rooms."

"Mr. Agreste, you've returned. Oh, hello… Um, I didn't realize we'd have guests." An older woman muttered, coming into the room.

"Bridgette, let me introduce you to my old classmate, Marinette Dupain-Cheng and her daughter, Mirian Dupain-Cheng."

"Oh, my, it's nice to make your acquaintance. I'm Mr. Agreste's housekeeper and personal chef. Now that you're home, would you prefer me to make a meal for you and your guests?"

"That won't be necessary, Bridgette. Mirian, here, has offered to make us something. Would you show her to the kitchen so she can put up these ingredients for the time being?"

"Of course, Mr. Agreste… um, would you like me to make up a few of the spare bedrooms?"

"It's alright, Bridgette. I'll show them to their rooms. They will be living with us starting tonight."

"Eh!?"

"Their last residence kind of had a falling out, so for now, they will be living in our house. Please, become familiar with them."

"O-of course, Mr. Agreste, come along, Ms. Dupain-Cheng, I'll show you the kitchen."

"Thank you, Ms. Bridgette." Mirian muttered, following her.

"So here's your room. It's one of the better guest rooms since it was designed to be for my mom's guests." Adrien explained.

"Thank you, Adrien… it's more than I could ever ask for."

"I'm going to place Mirian in my old room for now, if that's okay."

"Sure, that's fine. Where do you sleep then?"

"Oh, this room next to yours. It's my father's old room, which I changed up." He muttered, letting her inside to see.

"Wow, it's so large!"

"Yah, my father had wanted lavish things for my mom." Adrien blushed as he explained.

"Well, now that you've changed it up for yourself, it looks nice. Looks like someday when you get yourself a wife, she'll be comfortable there."

Adrien blushed at the thought and couldn't help but glance down at her imagining her in a wedding gown. She looked at him oddly at his staring, and he quickly shook the image from his mind.

"Does your old room still have all that stuff? The books, movies, and various toys?"

"Some of them, but I did cut down a lot of it as it broke or I just got tired of it collecting dust. You have to have time to enjoy such things, which as of late, I haven't had."

"W-well, I think I'm going to go take a quick shower and change."

"Go right ahead. If you have any trouble getting the settings figured out, let me know."

"Will do… can you do me a favor and show Mirian her room when she gets back?"

"Absolutely, just relax and take some stress off your shoulders for the day, okay?"

"Thanks, Adrien… r-really, thanks. As much as I want to be mad at you for intruding, I'm also grateful… I don't think I could hold my tongue much longer with Mrs. Durand."

"Of course, Marinette, what are friends for?"

She sighed and closed the door to the room while she went to take a shower. Adrien went into the kitchen and found Mirian and Bridgette laughing as they discussed recipes and tips.

"Mirian, can I show you your room for now? Your mother is taking a shower."

"Sure, Mr. Agreste. Talk to you later, Ms. Bridgette."

"Bye, my dear."

With that, they headed to Adrien's old room.

"WHOA!? This room is huge!? I've never been in a room this large."

"It's my old room from my childhood. Now it's yours."

"Thanks so much, Mr. Agreste!"

"Also, you're welcome to play with anything in here. Most of it is a tad old, but it should still work. I've got video games, movies, and books from all over the world. There's a fooseball table, a few old arcade game setups, and of course the skateboard wall/rock climbing wall."

"This is incredible!"

"I'm just going to take a shower myself and change. I'll meet you in the kitchen and dining hall afterwards, okay?"

"Sure, thanks again, Mr. Agreste."

"You're welcome, Mirian."

Once alone in the shower, Adrien had to sigh at the long day, wondering what he'd gotten himself into. Plagg was finally free from hiding and asked him from the bathroom sink, "Why didn't you just tell her the truth, Adrien?"

"I can't just drop a bomb on her like that, Plagg. What am I supposed to say, 'Hey, Marinette, I know it's been ten years, but guess what? I'm actually Chat Noir… your crush from collège, your lover as Ladybug, and the father of your child. Sorry for not being there for you. I was too busy dealing with Daddy issues to take notice, and I let you out of my life, but I want us to be together again. I want us to be one big happy family!' Plagg, don't be stupid. I need to ease into this and earn back her trust."

"So that you can ruin it again when you confess that you knew this whole time that she is Ladybug and that Mirian is your daughter, and you hid it to get to know her better as Adrien… I somehow think that that is worse. Besides, you sounded like you were going to tell her the truth earlier today."

"I was, but I got interrupted, and then I chickened out."

"Why? She said she still loves you and forgave you."

"Yah, but she loves Chat Noir, not Adrien."

"She had a crush on you for five years, Adrien."

"She said so herself that it was because she was more enamored by me than in love with my civilian-self."

"Only because you never gave her the chance to see your true self behind this perfect prissy image you upheld for your father's sake. Well, guess what? He's not around anymore. Just be yourself and tell her the truth before she thinks that you used her once you found out she was Ladybug. She obviously thinks that she as Marinette was and still is nothing but a burden to your Adrien-self. Prove her wrong."

"You give surprisingly good advice when you get past your Camembert obsession."

"Adrien, I've stayed back with you for ten years to finish this, and we finally have the chance. I'm not gonna let you mess this up again otherwise I will be stuck as your personal cheese-loving pet for the rest of your life."

"I wonder if Marinette still has her Kwami as well."

"I wouldn't be surprised. Tikki is very overprotective of her miraculous holders. Considering the circumstances, I think it's very likely that she's still with her."

"I want to be hospitable to her too if that's the case, but how do I ask? I'll sound like Chat Noir if I do."

"You already meet Nooroo, just claim that's how you know."

"I guess, you're right."

"Or better yet show her me and tell her the truth."

"I'm working on it, okay!?"

"Fine, but if this gets too deep, I'll tell her myself."

"Fine, deal."

"Adrien! Help!" Suddenly Marinette's voice called.

Adrien quickly threw on a towel as he ran to the source of the sound.

"Marinette!? What's wrong?" He shouted, banging on the door of the bathroom.

"I slipped and fell. I think I might have sprained my ankle, and every time I try to get up, I fall." She whimpered.

"I'm coming in, okay?"

"Okay…"

As he entered he saw her collapsed on the shower floor, nude and in pain. He blushed at the sight of her, but shook it from his mind, remembering he needed to help her.

"I'm so sorry. I tried to get to my phone that went off and slipped from going too fast." She explained.

"Don't apologize. I should have put some of those slip resistant pads across the ground, but since I never use this shower, I didn't think about it. Here, let me help you up." He muttered, turning off the water and then cautiously reaching down to lift her up into his arms bridal-style.

He carried her back into the bedroom and laid her on the bed. Once he did, he really couldn't help but take everything in as she lay on that bed naked and him only in a towel. She seemed to put two-and-two together as she covered herself quickly with the blanket.

"Um, let me get you a towel and some clothes. Is this your bag?" He muttered, walking up to it.

"Y-yah."

He opened her bag and tried not to focus on her undergarments as he found some pajamas. He handed them to her as he went into the bathroom and retrieved her a towel.

"Thanks, Adrien." She muttered. "Um, c-can you turn around?"

"R-right, sorry." He muttered, turning his back to her.

She blushed as she realized he was just in a towel himself. 'Gosh, why did he have to be so handsome? I keep telling myself that I'm only in love with Chat Noir, but I can't help the feelings I felt for Adrien. While a lot of that was more attraction, I did have genuine feelings for his kindness and natural talent in almost everything he does. That is fact… and now, I'm being so very much reminded of this today. Also, why did he have to get more handsome!? He was adorable in collège, but now, he's so masculine and sexy!'

"Um, Adrien, maybe you should get dressed."

"Uh, true. Sorry about that. I sort of just rushed towards your cry for help."

"I appreciate it, but you're very distracting—I mean! Err… what can I say, you weren't a model for no reason." Marinette grumbled, blushing.

"I'm distracting, huh?" Adrien couldn't help but tease.

"Okay, stop it, and get some clothes on!" Marinette growled, throwing her towel at him.

He laughed but froze at Marinette's bright red as he realized his towel had slipped.

"Shit, sorry! I am so sorry!" He yelped, pulling the towel back into place and running out to get dressed.

Once he came back, she could breathe a sigh of relief at seeing him fully dressed.

"I am so sorry. I did not mean to scar you like that."

"'Scar me' isn't the term that comes to mind." Marinette mumbled without thinking about it, causing Adrien to blush but smirk.

"What are you trying to say, Marinette?" He snickered out.

"I no longer have a towel in hand; otherwise, I'd throw it at you again." She growled, red-faced.

"I'm sorry; I couldn't help it." He chuckled.

"Ugh, I wish I could embarrass you as much I've been embarrassed since I first met you."

"Would it help if I said that I was doing everything I could to divert my eyes at seeing your naked body because you're an attractive woman, Marinette?" Adrien admitted, blushing.

"Err… it helps a tad, though I'm wondering why you would find me attractive…" Marinette muttered.

"Because I'm not blind… now, let me examine your ankle." Adrien muttered, approaching her.

She blushed at his words as he checked her injury.

"It's a little swollen, but it doesn't look too bad. Maybe try to put some pressure on it and see if you're still feeling pain. If so, we should take you to the hospital."

He helped her up, and she stepped on it pretty well before stumbling a tad and falling into his arms.

"Well, err, you seem to be doing okay, but that's your call. Do you want me to take you to the hospital?"

"N-no, I think I'm okay. I think I just need to rest for now. If it gets worse, then I will, but I don't want to worry Mirian over something minor."

"Fine, but I'm keeping my eye on you… so don't try to hide if you're in pain."

"I won't, Adrien. Thank you."

"No problem. Do you need help getting down the stairs?"

"Maybe just for stabilizing me. I think I'm okay otherwise."

"Alright I'm gonna stand right by you though, in case you start to stumble again."

"Okay, Adrien, thank you."

Once they got down to the atelier which Adrien had converted into a living room, Marinette took in the changes.

"I see you took down the photo collage of yourself." Marinette muttered at the area which now had a flat-screen TV.

"Yah, I still see my dopey face enough in throwback 'vintage' collections of the _Gabriel_ brand as well as the occasional perfume ad that still has my teenage photo."

"What can you say? People love your 'dopey' face, and besides, as a teenager you had the perfect look for it."

"How so?" He asked, curious at her answer.

"You really want me to go into why I probably seemed like a total stalker back then?" Marinette groaned.

"No, I'm not trying to embarrass you; it's just that you're the only person I know that's genuine about these sorts of things. People like Chloe and other girls who liked me as a model… I don't know. I think they only saw the ads and nothing else."

"I don't think I was much better at first…"

"Yah, but you recognized it and towards our last few years in school, you were one of my closest friends."

"Well, I'm glad you felt that way. I thought you were one of my best friends, too… alongside Nino, Alya, and Chat Noir, of course."

"So… what was so perfect about me?" He asked again.

She sighed and grumbled through red cheeks, "Your hair shines like the sun, your eyes are gorgeous green, I look at you and wonder your innermost thoughts and dreams. Yes, your Valentine I will be, our love will be so true, together for eternity, my heart belongs to you."

Adrien blushed bright red as he remembered those exact words, written down on a heart-shaped card fifteen years ago, "Y-you **were** the one who wrote me that Valentine's Day card! I was right!? Plagg didn't believe me, but I was so sure it was from Ladybug!"

"EH!? W-wait, who is Plagg?"

"D-did I say, 'Plagg'… um, I meant… 'Papa'…" He tried.

"You don't call your father, 'Papa;' you call him 'Pere'."

"Err… well, I meant that then."

"Adrien, what are you hiding?"

"Nothing, anyway, so you sent me a love letter, Marinette?" He shot back to throw off the current topic.

She blushed and grumbled, "Maybe…"

"That's very sweet, Marinette. If it makes you feel better, of all the cards and gifts I received that day, yours was the only one I kept to this day."

She smiled gently before smirking and reminding, "Well, two can play at this game… 'Your hair is dark as night, your pretty bluebell eyes, I wonder who you are beneath that strong disguise. Every day we see each other and I hope that you'll be mine, together our love could be so true, please, will you be my Valentine?'"

Adrien froze at the reminder of his words.

"Err… um, I was wondering how Ladybug saw my letter when I threw it away." Adrien pointed out.

"I got curious and found it in the trash…" Marinette admitted.

"Jeez, I knew I should have been more careful than that."

"So… my pretty bluebell eyes, huh?" She teased.

"What!? You have gorgeous eyes!"

"W-well, so do you…" She admitted. "Which is part of that perfect model look I was talking about. Besides, when you smile… I don't know; it's just so genuine and innocent… like sunshine."

He smiled at her gently and said, "Well, I could say the same for you, Ladybug…"

"Please, don't call me that…" She muttered.

"Speaking of Ladybug, do you still have your miraculous and your Kwami, or did you return them to the Master?"

"Err, no, actually she's been with me today in my bag and pockets. W-would you like to meet her?"

"Absolutely." Adrien said, "If you're going to be staying here, I want to show your whole family the same hospitality, kwami included."

"Okay, Tikki, you can come out." Marinette said.

Sure enough a glowing red ladybug-like creature came out of Marinette's blouse, but she eyed Adrien up suspiciously, causing Marinette to ask, "Tikki, what's the matter? You remember, Adrien, right?"

"Err…Yep, I remember the boy very well. It's nice to meet you, Adrien." Tikki muttered, softening her stare.

Adrien was curious why till he realized that she must have heard him mutter Plagg's name. Surely, she knew the other kwamis after all. So he froze and mouthed, "I'm sorry."

She sighed and said, "It's nice to be allowed out in the open, but what about your housekeeper?"

"Err… that's a good point… Um, but she did see Nooroo and we told her it was a pet of sorts. I can tell her the same so she doesn't learn about Marinette's identity. See, she's originally from Germany so she doesn't know as much about Paris's Superhero Duo."

"Fine, but just be cautious, okay?"

"Of course. She doesn't live here. She just comes during the day till the evening, generally. I think she's still here just because I was so late getting back. So, um, can I get you anything… maybe some Camembert?"

"Why would she want a smelly cheese like that?" Marinette asked.

"Err… um, that was Nooroo's favorite snack." Adrien lied.

"Speaking of Nooroo, where is the butterfly miraculous now? Obviously, the Great Guardian doesn't have it; otherwise, I would know about it." Tikki asked.

"Um, per Nooroo's request, I placed him and the miraculous in my father's safe behind, Mom's painting. I think he wanted me to give him back to the master at the proper time."

"Well, may I see him…?"

"Sure, um, one moment please." Adrien said walking over to the painting in that very room, pushing the painting back and unlocking the safe.

He retrieved the jewelry box with the butterfly brooch and walked over to Tikki muttering, "Do you want me to put it on just for the moment since he won't come out otherwise?"

"Sure, but first… can you remove any jewelry you are currently wearing. It will interfere with it…" She muttered, causing Adrien to realize he was wearing his Chat Noir ring still.

"Err… sure, um, let me just place my ring in a safe spot at the moment, okay?" He muttered, walking out of the room.

"Tikki's smart. She was trying to trick you into revealing me." Plagg chuckled.

"I know, but I can't say that I know she's lying; otherwise she'll ask how I know. I'm gonna take it off for now and 'denounce' you, but I promise I will bring you right back afterwards, okay?" Adrien groaned.

"Fine, but you owe me a lot of Camembert after this!"

"Fine, just hush, Plagg, I denounce you." He muttered, pulling off the ring and placing it in its jewelry box in his room.

Then he returned and came back to them.

"There we go, all accessories removed." He muttered.

"Tikki, since when has accessories interfered with the miraculous?"

"It's just a precaution, Marinette." Tikki insisted.

"S-so do I just place it on my shirt or something?" Adrien asked, opening the box.

"Yep…"

He pinned it on as Nooroo popped out in the air.

"H-hello, Adrien, it's been a long time."

"Y-yah, ten years to be exact."

"Why did you bring me out again?"

"We have guests who wished to see you." Adrien said, politely.

Nooroo turned and was shocked at seeing Tikki, "Tikki, it's been so long. What are you doing here?"

"My miraculous holder, Marinette here is an old classmate of Adrien, and when we returned to France, she met up with him again. He confessed to knowing where his father's miraculous was so I wished to see it as well as you."

"Oh, Tikki, I'm so glad to see you again. I couldn't very well take a civilian to see the Great Guardian so I figured that sealing myself away until he came to us or Ladybug did was more appropriate."

"I see. You must be hungry, Nooroo."

"Oh, yes, I'm famished. Adrien, would it be too much to ask for a snack?"

"Camembert, right?" Tikki shot out, causing Adrien to flinch and Nooroo to look at her confused.

"Err… no, I'm more into sweets… did you forget that, Tikki?"

"No, it's just that that's what Adrien said was your favorite."

"Adrien, that's odd of you… the only ones I know of who like salty foods are Trixx, Pollen, and Pl—."

"Right, right, sorry. I must have mixed it up in my mind since it's been ten years since I saw you." Adrien interrupted.

"Are you alright, Adrien?"

"Yep, just taking everything in… Here… I'll get you two some… cookies. Is that a better option?"

"Sounds wonderful, Adrien. Um, sorry, Marinette, but may I have a word with Tikki in private?" Nooroo asked.

"Sure, I'm gonna go check up on Mirian."

Once the two humans were gone, Nooroo turned to Tikki and asked, "What is going on?"

"Adrien is Chat Noir…" Tikki confessed.

"Eh!? Really, he never told me that…"

"My guess is he was too caught up in everything around his father he never got the chance, and I didn't find out until he let Plagg's name slip a few minutes ago."

"So does Marinette know then?"

"No, I never mentioned Plagg's name before because I didn't want to rehash her pain over missing Chat Noir…"

"Well, isn't Adrien going to tell her?"

"I'm not sure, but I'm about ready to ask him that very question if I can get a moment alone with him."

"If you want, I can distract Marinette for a few moments so you can."

"I'd greatly appreciate that, Nooroo. Also, I tricked Adrien into removing his ring, so I think he put it back into his room."

"Okay, I'll distract Marinette. You talk to Adrien, and come back when you're ready."

"Sure, thing. I'll be back shortly, Nooroo. Oh, and Nooroo?"

"Yes?"

"It's nice to see you again… especially now that you're not in evil hands anymore."

"Thanks, Tikki, it's nice to be free."

Once Nooroo did his part to distract Marinette, Tikki approached Adrien who offered her cookies.

"Thank you, Adrien. May I have a word with you in private before Nooroo and Marinette return?" Tikki asked, causing Mirian to look at them oddly.

"S-sure, Mirian, I'll be back in just a few. Bridgette, can you continue to entertain her company for a few moments longer while um… I attend to our pet friend here?" Adrien muttered, feeling the death glare from Tikki at having to pretend like this.

"Sure, Adrien and his father have such weird pets… First a talking butterfly and then, a talking… bug, I guess…" Bridgette muttered with a sigh.

"It's okay, Ms. Bridgette. We have some interesting creatures here in France."

"In Germany, I had a dachshund named Felix… he was a stubborn ol' coot of a dog." Bridgette muttered as Adrien and Tikki headed out.

Once alone in Adrien's room, Tikki muttered, "You can place your ring back on, Adrien."

"Eh? B-but you said with Nooroo—."

"I was lying. Of course a miraculous user can sustain more than one miraculous at a time; otherwise your father wouldn't have done what he did."

"You said to remove all accessories. What are you talking about?" Adrien tried.

"Adrien Agreste, you know dang well that I know who Plagg is. I have existed a lot longer than you! So you tell me exactly what is going on, or I will go into that kitchen with Nooroo and tell Marinette exactly who you are!"

"Okay! Okay, wait, I'm sorry!" He sighed, placing his ring back on and calling Plagg back.

"Hey, Tikki." Plagg muttered, softer than Adrien had ever heard the kwami speak before.

"Plagg, explain this to me, now!" She growled.

"Adrien had no idea that Marinette was Ladybug nor was she pregnant till today."

"Yah, well, whose fault is that!?"

"Tikki, he already feels terrible about abandoning her… That's the only reason I've stayed by his side this long. He has been dwelling on it for the past ten years. Why do you think a guy like him is still single with all the ladies that keep throwing themselves at him? It's because he's so hopelessly in-love with Ladybug."

"Well, then, why didn't he tell her the truth today? He listened to her pour her heart out about how she still loves Chat Noir, how she dreams of seeing him again, and how she wishes to tell Chat Noir about his daughter… Meanwhile, how I see it, he's sitting there soaking it in, hearing all her secrets and still holding his back!" Tikki shouted, throwing an accusing hand at Adrien.

"I… I just want to do this right… If I tell her right now that I am Chat Noir and that I'm in love with her… she's going to assume that it's simply because I had a crush on Ladybug. She won't think I'm genuine or that I love her for Marinette's side… Furthermore, I am a stranger to her and Mirian. I want her to know that I'm not just some fragmented version of her fantasies. I want to be the man she deserves…"

"And what is that, Adrien!?" Tikki shouted inches from his face.

"I know it's not me, okay!? I know I'm not the F*CKING Man she deserves, okay? But, I love her… Dammit, I love her! I have since the day I met her in the spots, but that day… that day ten years ago when I saw that man under the Butterfly miraculous… when I saw the one person I was begging God it wasn't, I lost it. They say that most miraculous holders can't be akumatized under normal circumstances… and I knew that even if he ever dared to, he couldn't akumatize me because I was used to despair. I thought that I could never fall anymore into despair until that moment… when he once again proved me wrong. So in that moment, I did the only thing I could do… I ran. I disappeared from the world into myself as Adrien Agreste, Chat Noir being nothing more than a fallacy of the mind, outside of one final 'Cataclysm' that Ladybug would never find to repair. With the portrait of my father and I turned to ash in seconds, I told Plagg to go back to where he came from, but he refused. He told me to go and find Ladybug, to tell her all of this, but even that wasn't enough to pull me from my pain. I hated the world almost as much as I hated that man behind the mask… both Hawkmoth and Chat Noir because it proved to me that we weren't that different in a sense… Neither one of us were our real selves with each other. We both had sides that we held from almost everyone… The only person I ever showed that true form to was Ladybug… and by the time I could see the sun again to acknowledge it… she was gone. Marinette will never know this, but I went to that room a night after she left Paris… Just my bad luck, right? I went back as Adrien, and she was gone, no matter how many times I returned. Mr. Bourgeois was so confused at first why Adrien Agreste requested the same hotel room every night for the span of ten years… after all, Chat Noir and Ladybug entered that room in secret with only one very quiet hotel employee to account for it… and that employee swiftly retired and moved away afterwards. I'm not sure if they did for our sake or for their own, but the fact remained that it would forever be only our secret spot… To the owner, I simply lied, saying that I needed a place to be free from public eye, and that if my friendship with his daughter meant anything, he'd leave that be. He obliged. I know I'm not the Chat Noir she deserves… but I want to be, dammit!" Adrien shouted, tears on the brink of falling.

Tikki sighed and said, "Fine… dang it, fine, we'll do this your way for now… but you have got to be honest with her soon because that precious girl has waited ten years for you, crying herself to sleep over you and having nightmares of what befell you. And Mirian… she has waited nine years for a father… she deserves the best dang one the world's got to offer, so you had better man up and be it!"

"I will do my very best, Tikki… and someday, regardless of what happens, I hope you can forgive me." He whispered.

"You had better be grateful that Ladybug is the one with the Lucky Charm and not me…"

"Well, I'll take that as the cue to leave. Plagg, when I get back, I'll make a nice sleeping arrangement for Tikki in Marinette's room. If you would be so kind for now to stay out of sight, I promise to get you a nice chunk of Camembert when I return."

"I should have known that cue about a kwami's snack was actually from Plagg… who else would like such a horrid cheese." Tikki couldn't help but giggle.

With that, Tikki and Adrien returned to the kitchen seeing Marinette, Mirian, and Bridgette laugh as they splashed each other while washing dishes.

"You guys didn't need to do the dishes. I could've gotten that." Adrien muttered.

"Oh nonsense, Adrien, if we're going to be staying under your roof, it's the least we can do." Marinette muttered.

"So Nooroo, did you catch up with Mirian and Marinette?"

"Yes, Mirian's recipe smells amazing."

"Good, well then why don't we take it in the living room while we watch the movie Mirian rented? That way once it's done, we can all get some rest. I'm sure we all are exhausted from today. Plus, Marinette and I have work tomorrow, and Mirian has school."

"Sounds good, Adrien." Marinette muttered.

"Bridgette, will you join us for the meal?" Adrien asked.

"W-well, I'd be honored. Thank you, Mr. Agreste."

"Of course, I figure since you stayed so late, the least I could do is offer you a meal for your trouble."

And so the group got comfortable in the living room as Adrien set up their romantic comedy to play on the player. As they watched the movie, Tikki nestled comfortably on Mirian's lap and Nooroo snuggled up next her, Adrien smiled looking around the group. He quietly gestured to Plagg who was hiding from a nearby cupboard to come and he did, curling up in Adrien's pocket when no one was looking.

Sometime past as Adrien awoke, realizing he'd dozed off somewhere in the middle of the movie. To his surprise, Mirian and Marinette were curled up against him. Bridgette was gone, but there was a note on the coffee table explaining that she had left shortly after they all fell asleep. He sighed as he looked down at the two ladies in his arms. He kissed their foreheads gently and sighed, hoping he could manage all this.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8- Seeing an Old Friend

"Marinette!"

"Alya! It's been so long!"

"And whose fault is that? We were supposed to meet up two weeks ago."

"Y-yah, I'm sorry, Alya. A lot of things have happened since I moved back to Paris…"

"Yah, and I wanna know all these details, girl. I only got to talk to you so much in that café in Italy since your house didn't have good wifi connection, and you only got cell phone connection in that one room in your grandmother's house."

"I'm sorry about that… but I'm here now."

"So spill it. Deets now, okay?"

"Um, maybe you should get yourself a drink or something first."

"Marinette, you're not distracting me. Out with it."

"I… Um, maybe I should start with why I dropped out of school."

"Okay, we're going way back, but I like it."

"Please, um, don't freak out, okay?"

"What; you make it out like you killed someone or something."

"Well, not killed someone… m-more like made someone."

"W-what?"

Marinette then pulled out a photo on her phone of her and Mirian, and Alya froze.

"Y-you were pregnant!? Who's the father!? Wait, oh my gosh, she looks just like—."

"Wait, before you say who I think you're going to say, it's not Adrien."

"Girl, your daughter is a carbon copy of him: the hair, the eyes, the smile."

"Adrien is not her father."

"Then, who? Who else is blonde and green-eyed who you could've hooked up with in that timeframe?"

"I will tell you, but don't freak out, and you definitely can't tell a soul, no matter how much journalism instincts kick off in your body."

"What is that supposed to mean!?"

"It's…Chat Noir." Marinette whispered.

"What? I couldn't hear you."

"It's Chat Noir." She whispered just slightly louder.

"Serious, Girl, speak up, like I can hear you over all these people in the café!"

"It's Chat Noir, okay!?" Marinette growled, making Alya choke on her spit in shock.

"Chat Noir!?" Alya yelped.

"SHH! Not so loud, Alya."

"B-but how!? I was so sure he was in love with Ladybu—OH MY GOSH, you're not!?"

"SHHH! ALYA, I don't want the world to know!"

"Then it's true!? Oh my gosh. This whole time it was you! It makes sense though… Wait, then did you know about Rena Rouge?"

"Um, yah… the Great Guardian placed me in charge of picking the fox, bee, and turtle miraculous."

"Yah, and Nino is the Turtle… because you kinda can't be engaged to a man and not know."

"Oh my gosh, you two got engaged!?"

"Just last week." Alya admitted, blushing.

"Show me the ring, stat!"

Alya chuckled showing her hand off to her friend, and adding, "You'll be my maid of honor, right?"

"Oh my gosh, yes! I'd be honored!" Marinette squealed.

"But don't use that as an excuse to change the subject. If you're LB, who is Chat Noir!?"

"I… I don't know." Marinette muttered, suddenly melancholy.

"EH!? H-how do you not know if he's the father of your child?"

"We made love in the dark with the idea that we would only reveal ourselves after the fight with Hawkmoth because Chat Noir has been mind-controlled before and the thing that protected us was the fact that we didn't know each other's identity. B-but the day of the fight…"

"He ran away after seeing who was under Hawkmoth's mask." Alya finished.

"And though I tried to go back to our spot again and again, he never came… I found out I was pregnant, and then I was so worried that based on what little I could tell by Chat's outward appearance, Mirian would look a lot like a certain other boy from that timeframe… while I knew that wasn't the truth, I wouldn't have been able to explain that without revealing the truth."

"S-so you just hid in Italy!? Oh, Marinette, why would you do that!?"

"Alya, Adrien was given the worst possible scenario in a single day. We discovered that not only was his father Hawkmoth, but his father's assistants were in on it too. He suddenly was practically an orphan since we still didn't know where his mother was… I couldn't bear to throw in another potential scandal over the lie that he had conceived a child, on top of it all."

"Marinette, Adrien wouldn't have cared!"

"I know, he won't stop tell me that…" Marinette grumbled.

"EH!? He knows!?"

"Y-yah, that's the other chaotic part of my story… so… I'm kinda, sorta living with Adrien at the moment…"

"OH MY GOSH!" Alya squealed.

"Alya, keep it down!"

"No, you crushed on that boy for like 5 straight years, dropped out of school to protect him for another ten, and now you're telling me that you're living under the same roof with him!? DEETS NOW!?"

"I… he sort of got me kicked out of my apartment—."

"That was an attic, not an apartment." Alya groaned.

"Well, he felt the same, but vocalized it so loud that the landlord heard him and evicted me. So, he said, 'good riddance' and announced that I was staying with him until further notice… when I tried to deny his offer, he insisted it was least he could do for the last ten years."

"Good boy." Alya grinned.

"No, I was trying not to be a burden to him, and now I'm imposing on his home."

"Girl, you are never a burden, and you know it. Besides, Adrien adores you. You were one of his earliest friends and one of his best. Of course he wants to help you out."

"It wouldn't be so awkward if I hadn't told him the truth about my old crush on him."

"Oh my gosh! How did he take it?"

"He was surprised but was cool about it… Truth is he had a crush on someone back then… that and he kind of had the hots for the spots, but apparently who didn't…"

"Yah, that would be a long list. Everyone either idolized you or wanted you." Alya said with a wink.

"You were on the idolizing side, right?" Marinette teased.

"Maybe… maybe not." Alya winked back. "But wow, so how has it been living with Mr. Agreste in the flesh?"

"So awkward. I mean better than first crush awkward, but still awkward."

"Why?"

"First night, he saw me naked and vice versa."

"EH!?"

"I slipped in his guest bathroom shower and twisted my ankle. He came running in to help me, dressed only in a towel from taking a shower himself. Well he saw me when helping me, but afterwards, I threw a towel at him for teasing me and it caused his towel to slip. Gosh, I don't think I've ever been so red. Also, I think I heard Adrien curse for one of the first times in my life." Marinette explained.

"Well, he's 28 now, not 17 and a goodie-two-shoe under his father anymore."

"True, though he still has his father submit designs for the brand."

"Yah, I heard about that. Gutsy move, but he's very smart with the business."

"Besides… I'm so conflicted being this close with Adrien again."

"Why?"

"I… I'm starting to think I'm having feelings for him again."

"That's understandable."

"But I'm in love with Chat Noir."

"Y-yah, but Marinette, it's been ten years since anyone has seen him, and we were the last ones to see him… I don't want to burst your bubble because I get how important this is considering Mirian, but at the same time… Chat Noir has no right to intrude on your love life now since he left in the first place."

"I guess… I just feel like if I like Adrien again, I'm betraying Chat Noir."

"In a sense, he betrayed you, so you don't owe him anything, Marinette."

"Still, I still love Chat Noir, and I chose to forgive him."

"And that is honorable of you, Marinette, but also don't be afraid to enjoy your life and move on… you shouldn't have to wait your whole life for a ghost of a man. You deserve happiness."

"Thanks, Alya… S-so, now, I want the deets! How did Nino drop the question!?" Marinette asked, making Alya blush.

"Mirian, I'm back." Marinette called as she walked in the door. "Mirian?"

"Oh, Marinette, hi." Adrien muttered, walking past her on his way to his office, dressed in a full suit and tie.

"Oh, hi, Adrien… I thought you were going to be down at corporate today."

"No, I was, but some of my meetings were postponed for another day because of some reports needing to be reevaluated before coming to my approval, so I decided I'd take my remaining conference calls here in my office so I can take the rest of the day off."

"Wow, another partial day off this week… that's three, huh? I think that's a new record." Marinette teased.

"Haha, very funny."

"Have you seen Mirian? I was going to have her try on one of my designs to see if it fit her properly."

"Nice, can I catch a peek when it's done?"

"Well, it'll be some of her school clothes so I'm sure you'll see her wear it like all the rest, but if you insist, you can…"

"Well, to be honest, I've been looking over some of your designs for her as well as some of your older portfolios from the collège days, and I was hoping to see if you would be interested in maybe working under our children's line at _Gabriel_."

"I… I don't know, Adrien. I don't think my style is very… _Gabriel_ -isque."

"Neither is most of our work. Again, only about 20 percent of our line comes from my father nowadays, so _Gabriel_ has become a very diverse brand."

"I… I don't know. You've already done so much for me. I don't know if working with you is really fair to you."

"What is that supposed to mean!? Marinette, you're brilliant, and I wanted your work from the start, but again, by the time I could possibly ask you, you were gone to a little town in Italy."

"B-but what about my other jobs? I can't design and do those jobs too. If I'm going to design for you, I would want to put my full effort into it, and I can't do that working as a barista and a stocker…"

"I know that… that's why I'm offering you this job as a full-time salary job."

"EH!?"

"I'll give you an initial commission for your work with royalties for sales of course and on the other hand… I was hoping you could be an assistant of mine in the textile division."

"Eh? But you already have Adeline."

"She's my general secretarially assistant. She works primarily in maintaining my schedule, forwarding my calls, and some bookkeeping of our accounting logs. She isn't my right-hand in on-call situations. I have been looking for someone like that for a while after my former one Diana quit to become a homemaker for her children. If anyone is to be it, I would appreciate it to be someone who understands the industry as much as you do."

"I only know the basics, Adrien."

"Are you kidding me!? When we went on that tour of the factory the first day we met again, you pointed out some changes that I implemented, and it increased productivity by 20 percent."

"R-really!?"

"Yes, Marinette, you know your stuff… Please, let's use it instead of wasting it in a café or a hospital's stock room…"

"I… can I think about it? It's one thing to work for a friend; it's another to work directly under a friend on a close basis…" Marinette muttered.

"Of course, take all the time you need, but Marinette, please, understand that you are so much more amazing than you give yourself credit."

"Th-thanks… err, um, but back on the subject at hand, do you know where Mirian is?"

"Oh, sorry, I got side-tracked. She and Louis are playing up in her room. I hope it was okay that I let him in when he came over…"

"Oh, okay, of course, that's fine. I just wanted to make sure she was here once I got back from my meeting with Alya."

"How did that go?"

"She took it surprisingly well. I think she was more shocked that though I knew everyone's miraculous holders in general, I never learned Chat Noir's considering how close he was."

"Eh!? You knew their identities!?"

"Yah, because the Great Guardian entrusted me to give the bee, fox, and turtle miraculous out…"

"Eh!? Gosh, did Chat Noir have no involvement in any of this?" Adrien grumbled.

"Master Fu said that he was cautious with Chat Noir because of the darker part of Chat Noir's power. Besides, according to him, the black cat miraculous's kwami tends to be a lot lazier. D-did you know the identities of those three…?"

"W-well, yes, but only because they opened up to me, being my friend… However, they told me that they didn't know Chat Noir's identity either."

"I think because Chat Noir was the most common to be mind-controlled and could literally kill us with his Cataclysm if he tried, it was a held idea that he shouldn't know ours till the end and vice versa. This is especially true since he did try to use his Cataclysm on us more than a handful of times while controlled."

"Still, seems like he was kind of an outsider compared to the others."

"Y-yah, I guess you're right… I wish I had brought Chat Noir to Master Fu, but he tended to refer to me as my civilian form a lot, and that could've been bad."

"True… but yes, Chloe, Nino, and Alya all admitted to me that they were Queen Bee, Rena Rogue, and Carapace…"

"Wow, for a civilian, you know more about the miraculous that most people."

"Again, with what happened involving my father, I think they thought I had a right to know… Plus, Chloe is terrible at keeping secrets from me."

"True… Well, I'm going to go check on Mirian… Oh and Alya and Nino got engaged." Marinette added before walking away.

"EH!?" Adrien yelped.

"Yep, a week ago… don't be surprised if you get a call from Nino in the near future. Also act surprised, okay?"

"Jeez, good for him." Adrien chuckled. "It's about time. They've been together for nearly 15 years by now…"

"Yah, Alya said he was waiting until he felt that his career as a DJ was a steady enough gig to provide for her. That and her father preferred that he have his own place without roommates before they settled down."

"Makes sense, I guess."

"Well, see you later, Adrien. Good luck with your conference calls."

"Err, M-Marinette?"

"Yes, Adrien?"

"I… please think about my offer, okay? Because I was serious…"

"Of course, Adrien…"


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter Nine- She Loves Me, She Loves Me Not

After some careful thought and the proper notice, Marinette agreed and began working for Adrien a few weeks later.

"So, Marinette, what do you think about this fabric for this design? You think it's a good choice for mass production?"

"I think it's very elegant, but on a mass production scale, I think it's overpriced per capital. If you go with this similar fabric in a slightly lower cost margin per yard, you can keep the general elegance you are hoping for with the initial design but increase your profit margin on a broader wide-scale market. Additionally, this one is a slightly more unique pattern which will make forgery works less predominant in the overseas industries."

"Nice eye, Marinette."

"That's what you hired me for, Mr. Agreste."

"Marinette, you're my on-job personal assistant; you don't have to call me that."

"Everyone else on your staff does… so until we clock out and head back home, I think I'll hold the neutrality." Marinette explained.

Adrien sighed but nodded, thinking to himself, 'I offered you this job partially to get closer to you, not to push you further away… still, I guess she's smart considering my ulterior motives could cloud my judgement.' "Well, that is the last design fabric to sign off on approval for tonight. Let's get home. I'm sure Mirian is waiting for you."

"Very well… see you back home, Mr. Agreste."

"Good-bye, Marinette." He said with a smile.

As soon as Marinette got in her car, she let out a heavy sigh.

"How am I supposed to do this!? Why did I agree to do this? It's a great job opportunity, but I can't ignore the fact that I really think I'm falling for Adrien all over again, and seeing him 24/7 isn't helping… No, Marinette, you are waiting for Chat Noir, gosh darn it! Get that teenage doe-eyed look out of here! You are a professional, dang it!"

Back home, Marinette, Bridgette, Mirian, and Adrien sat down for what was now their routinely family meal.

"So, how was school today, Mirian?" Marinette asked.

"Um… it was good…" She muttered, somewhat contained to Marinette's surprise.

"Mirian is something wrong?" Adrien asked.

"Err… no, it's nothing."

"If something's wrong, Mirian, you can talk to me about it? We can even talk about this privately if you want." Marinette muttered, concerned.

"I… I don't want to talk about it." Mirian muttered. "Can I be excused?"

"Mirian!?"

"Please, Mama…?"

"I… fine, I guess, but please, if you do want to talk about it later, let me know, okay?"

"Of course, Mama…" Mirian muttered, walking back to her room.

"What do you think is the matter?" Adrien asked.

"I don't know if it's my place to say… but she mentioned something to me while we were making dinner." Bridgette muttered.

"What was it, Bridgette?"

"She said that some of her classmates have been talking about how Mr. Agreste's new assistant is living with him and how it's Mirian's mother… A lot of them keep teasing Mirian, saying that Adrien has to be her father and that he hired Ms. Dupain-Cheng to shack up with and keep her close…"

"WHAT!?" Adrien and Marinette yelped.

"Those little brats!" Adrien growled.

"Dammit, this is exactly why we moved to Italy in the first place."

"Marinette…"

"No, Adrien… I knew this could happen… I just didn't expect them to go after Mirian…"

"What if I made an official statement?" Adrien suggested.

"Saying what? 'Ms. Dupain-Cheng and her daughter are residents under my household because of an unfair eviction from their apartment? Also, she's not my daughter because her father is Chat Noir.' Somehow I don't imagine it going over well."

"No, I was going to say something along these lines: 'Under the speculations of my parentage to Ms. Mirian Dupain-Cheng, I will neither confirm nor deny these claims as it will not deter your accusations. However, on the matter of their residency within my household, my father previously quartered two of his personal staff within the household, this is simply a similar matter, and anyone who writes slanderous dialogues claiming anything otherwise will henceforth lose interviewing privileges with the _Gabriel_ brand unless proper retractions are taken.' I figure that way I swiftly ignore the Mirian issue as a whole, presuming them to think I don't care about the issue and putting to rest any attempts to discredit your reputation…" Adrien explained.

"I… I guess it's worth a shot. I really don't care what people think about me… I just don't want them hurting Mirian. It's already so hard for her. She wants so badly to proudly tell people who her father is, but she can't. It's not fair of me, but I know if the world knew who Ladybug is under the mask, it would be a lot worse…"

"Marinette… I'm sorry. It's not fair that you have had to take all this responsibility upon your shoulders because of Chat Noir." Adrien growled, bitterly.

"Adrien, we've talked about this."

"I know, okay, I know… but that doesn't change the fact that I'm disappointed in him. You deserve better… and Mirian deserves a father that's there for her."

"I appreciate the fact that you care, Adrien."

"Also, I… I hope this isn't out-of-line, but wh-what were you thinking when you heard that people think we're together…?" Adrien asked, blushing.

"The same things I thought of when I went to Italy… I felt bad for you because I'm sorry people would run your name through the mud because of me."

"Marinette…"

"You've always been a great friend Adrien, even when I was too doe-eyed to see past the 'Mr. Perfect' pedestal I'd put you on and maybe both that and with Hawkmoth being your father… I just feel the desire to protect you."

"I appreciate that Marinette, but I'm a 28 year-old man, not a 17 year-old sheltered boy anymore. I love that you still hold that view of me in your mind, but you need to start protecting yourself and let me man up against the world now when they try to knock me down."

"I guess you're right… B-by the way, wh-what did you think about that rumor…?" Marinette asked, shyly.

"I… I feel honored that they would think such a wonderful girl was my daughter, to be honest. And as for the rumors of us being a couple… I guess they don't bother me because I find the idea kind of beautiful." He admitted, before getting up with his empty plate to take to the kitchen.

Marinette was left blushing and slack-jawed at this though, and chased him into the kitchen, yelping, "You can't just walk away after saying something like that, Agreste!"

"What? It's the truth, though." He smirked.

Marinette squinted her eyes at him and growled, "You only think that because you used to have a crush on the Bug."

"While it's true I was enchanted by the Lady in Spots, it doesn't change the fact that I am looking at you as Marinette now, not Paris' Savior." He whispered, huskily, "I've been looking at you as Marinette this whole time, and it's Marinette that makes that idea beautiful, not the mask you used to wear across your face."

Her knees went weak at his serious words and hungry expression. When she took a step back, she felt a countertop push into her back, and she whimpered, "A-Adrien…?"

He seemed to realize exactly what implications his words presented and leaned forward, whispering, "Marinette, I…"

She instinctively moved back and tripped over her feet. She started to fall towards the countertop, and he lunged forward to catch her. He succeeded but had essentially pinned her between him and the countertop. She lay in his arms so close and looking so beautiful. Instincts kicked in as Marinette and Adrien both leaned forward toward each other. Just as their lips almost met, he whispered, "Princess…"

She froze at the words and almost saw Chat Noir's figure shadowing behind Adrien's face. He seemed to realize his words when she had pulled back, and he saw her face. He wondered if she'd figured him out when she suddenly whimpered and said, "I'm sorry. I can't do this."

"I… I'm sorry. I overstepped my boundaries." He whispered.

"I'm sorry, Adrien… I like you. I can't deny that I do, b-but I'm your employee now… and it's not appropriate… besides, when I was about to d-do what I almost did… I saw him in your place, and that's not right. You deserve someone who can love you without an ex's memory, looming over your relationship…" She whispered, pushing him away and darting out of the room.

"W-wait, Marinette… D-Dammit!" Adrien shouted at himself.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter Ten- The Truth

"You need to tell her!" Plagg growled. "If she's in love with Adrien and Chat Noir, it's not fair to her that she think she's betraying him to love you!"

"I know… I'm going now, but dammit, this is the worst way I could really think to tell her. I don't know if she'll even believe me." Adrien sighed.

"Just show her."

"I haven't donned the Chat Noir persona in ten years." Adrien reminded.

"Then just show her me… We can't keep up this 'getting to know you' act anymore. People are accusing your daughter of being just that, and she's suffering because of it. Marinette is getting mixed mental signals, and Tikki will kill me if you make Marinette feel worse than before."

"Okay, okay… I'm gonna go. Come on, Plagg. I'll call you out when I'm ready."

"Okay. Let's do this."

Suddenly, they were both interrupted when they heard Marinette and Bridgette scream.

Adrien ran to the source in Mirian's room and shouted, "What's wrong!?"

"Mirian is gone!" Marinette cried out.

"Wh-what do you mean she's gone!? Wh-where could she have went… I-I'll call Louis."

"I'm on the phone with his parents now, Sir. She's not there." Bridgette explained.

"Let's try her grandparents. I'll call Alya and Nino too." Adrien suggested.

Suddenly Tikki appeared asking, "Where is Nooroo?"

"N-Nooroo!? I'd assume he went back into the butterfly miraculous because you asked me to seal him, and we'd take him to Master Fu later this week to return him."

"Yah but where did you put it?"

"In my father's old safe behind the painting of my mother." He explained.

"I… I doubt she would—." Marinette started.

"I just want to be sure!" Tikki said as she flew towards the living room.

They followed her and heard a high-pitched squeal. They ran into the room to find the painting pulled back and the safe open, short of the butterfly miraculous.

"She didn't!" Adrien shouted, concerned.

"B-but why!? What point would she need to take the butterfly miraculous?" Marinette muttered.

Tikki held back a glare at Adrien and whispered, "I think with what happened at school today she went to find out something."

"Find out something?"

"She wants to know who her father is, and since none of the other miraculous holders know aside from Chat Noir himself, I think she went to the only other person who may have the answer…"

Suddenly it clicked between Adrien and Marinette.

"I'll go get the car." Marinette shouted.

"Okay, let's go. Bridgette, stay behind in case she comes back." Adrien shouted, following Marinette.

They drove in silence both due to anxiety over Mirian and due to what happened earlier in the kitchen. Finally after about thirty minutes, they reached their destination, the county prison. Upon entering, Adrien initially tried to ask the cops for information on Mirian's presense, but they said this was a breach of confidentiality.

"Very well, then I need to see someone…" Adrien insisted.

"It's rather late for visits, but I'll grant it. Who are you here to see?" The officer asked.

"Gabriel Agreste…"

The officer froze at the name and said, "R-really? Wait, are you the press, because if this is an interview request, you have to file the proper form."

"No, he's my father." Adrien growled.

"O-oh, s-sorry, right this way."

He guided them to the visiting room and waited for them to bring him out. He sat down at the bench in front of them.

"Hello, Adrien. I must say, I'm surprised to see you given that I have no designs for you…" He muttered.

"Cut the crap, Father. I'm here because a little girl has gone missing, and we think she may have come here."

"And why would she do that?" He sneered.

"It's not important; just tell me if she's been here." Marinette growled.

"My, my, feisty one, isn't she? Marinette, was it? My, look how much you grown since the last time I saw you at one of my son's school functions."

"You mean over your webcam? I'm rather surprised you even recognize me…" Marinette shot back.

"It's hard to forget the face of the pipsqueak that placed me behind bars ten years ago."

"Wh-what!?"

"Please, don't think me an idiot. I am well aware you are Ladybug…"

"And why would you think so?"

"Because your daughter told me herself."

"Where is she, Hawkmoth!?" Marinette shouted, reaching for his collar, much to the guard's disapproval.

"My, I haven't been called that name in so long… My guess is she's looking for her father at the moment…"

"That's not possible. We don't know where Chat Noir is!" She growled as the guard approached to break it up.

Suddenly, Gabriel burst out laughing.

"What is so damn funny!?" Adrien growled.

"All this time she's been staying with you, and you never batted an eye in lying to her. My, Son, you're almost as devious as me."

"Wh-what are you talking about!? Where is my daughter!?" Marinette shouted.

"If you'll kindly let me go, I'll tell you before the guard kicks you out for violent behavior."

Marinette let go but held her glare.

"Your daughter did come here this evening, and what a shocking sight it was. Nothing like a small girl dressed similar to Hawkmoth coming to meet him herself. They thought she was some sort of odd fangirl, but I knew better. I could practically sense Nooroo's presence inside her brooch… but this wasn't our first interaction… See, she's been sending me letters, asking me if I knew the identity of Chat Noir. At first, I thought it was some misguided fangirl wishing to write a report on the former cat-boy in black, but then she started insisting in her letters that she was his daughter. I was rather shocked at the implications of that of course and asked her to send a photo as well as something to prove this. Ms. Dupain-Cheng, you would be proud that you raised her well since she was apprehensive to send such things to a complete stranger, but I told her that if she would do so, I could give her written evidence that she was not only his daughter but of his identity. I told her I had a good idea, but that it would prove it to both of us. So, finally she caved, sending a photo of herself and a personal hairbrush. Then I simply compared it to the DNA of the man I was rather certain was his personal identity. If it came back a positive match, then we'd have killed two birds with one stone."

"Stop playing around, you psychopath! You couldn't possibly have Chat Noir's DNA after all these years."

"Oh, yes, I could… it was quite simple when the man I suspected has visited me often enough to take some samples without his knowledge."

Adrien froze and could practically see the knowing glare in his father's eyes.

"I don't believe you! Chat Noir is gone!" Marinette shouted.

"Then why don't you look in that envelope. You daughter did right before she left. It might answer some questions, my dear Ladybug."

She hesitantly took it as Adrien yelped, "W-wait!"

But it was in vain as she pulled the paper out of a paternal DNA test's results. She froze as she read the words aloud, almost to confirm its words, "The alleged father is not excluded as the biological father of the tested child. Based on testing results obtained from analyses of the DNA loci listed, the probability of paternity is 99.9998 percent… Child: Mirian Dupain-Cheng… Alleged Father: Adrien Agreste."

Adrien cursed under his breath, and Marinette turned around staring at him with a look of pure betrayal.

"M-Marinette, I can explain!" He tried.

"Y-you!?" She sobbed out.

"Marinette, I… I wanted to tell you, not have you find out like this…" He whispered, trying to reach her shoulder, but she shook him off.

"You knew this whole damn time!? You knew and you said nothing!? How dare you!?" She screamed, backing away in shock.

"Marinette, please!" He begged, walking towards her.

"NO! Stay away from me! I… I trusted you! I told you everything, and you just sat back and listened to me pour my heart out like it was nothing!"

"That's not true!" He insisted. "Please, just let me explain."

"No, just leave me alone… I-I need to find my daughter. You just stay here with Hawkmoth… you seem to belong there!" She shouted, running away.

He was about to run after her when he heard, "My, my, my… I never figured that my son could be as black-hearted as me… But then again, maybe it's fitting that he holds the miraculous with the power of destruction. You seem to have a knack at it."

Adrien cursed and growled, "Plagg Claws—."

"NO, ADRIEN! Not here!" Plagg yelped, flying out between them.

"My, my, so this is the infamous black cat miraculous's kwami…" Gabriel taunted.

"Get out of my way, Plagg. Plagg, CLAWS—."

Suddenly the kwami threw himself at Adrien and yanked the ring off his finger before he could stop him.

"Plagg!? G-give me back my miraculous!" Adrien growled.

"Not when you're going to use it for revenge." Plagg shot out, defiantly.

"DAMMIT, Plagg, I just want to give him a taste of the pain he's put me through for the past fifteen years!" Adrien growled.

"Not under the guise of Chat Noir. Now, stop and think for a second. You could waste your time beating your father senseless knowing the guards can't stop you, or you can go find Marinette and Mirian!"

"She's never going to forgive me!"

"Not if you don't try, Adrien!"

"DAMMIT!" He whimpered, suddenly breaking into tears.

"So pathetic… Act like a man, and take responsibility for your actions, Son."

"The only reason that this happened is because of **you**! If Hawkmoth had been anyone but you, I would have met with Ladybug that night ten years ago and told her who I am, but no, it had to be you."

"That doesn't change the fact that you ran out on her, on Paris. Some Savior you are… Also, don't blame me for lying to her for this long once you found out…" He snickered.

"Why did you do this father!?"

"I almost didn't when I saw a picture of her… my granddaughter. She looks so much like her grandmother I almost let it go, but then I had to shove it back in your face, Chat Noir. You kept me from getting my wife back, YOUR MOTHER back… so I crushed your chances of getting your life back…"

"I don't have time for this!" Adrien growled, "… Also, if you had succeeded, your wish to bring her back would have cost someone else their life! That is the cost of the 'ultimate power'!"

"I knew that, fool… no cost was too great to get her back!" Gabriel shouted.

Adrien looked back at his father in shock and disgusted before saying to the guard, "I'm done here. Take him to the darkest hole-in-the-wall cell you can find for all I care!"


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter Eleven- Making Amends

A/N: (Warning: This chapter is the chapter mentioned with sexual content which was separated. This is the PG-13 rated version and the rated M version is on my account under the title "Wish I Knew You When I was Young- Chapter 11 Mature Version for more explicit content, though not severe.)

That night, Adrien returned to his house hoping to find them there, but they were gone, having abandoned most of their stuff in their haste. He almost had hope that maybe they had just left to cool their head till Bridgette handed him a note that read: "We have left to a place you can't find us. Don't bother to contact us. We will send someone to pick up our things at a later date."

Upon seeing this, Adrien collapsed on the couch and sobbed, "I did it… I lost them for good this time."

Plagg reappeared slowly, touching his shoulder, "H-here's your ring… I'm sorry I did that."

"N-no, Plagg, you were right… you were right about everything…"

"M-maybe we can still find them. Maybe if we search the city high and low, we can find them." Plagg suggested.

"And then, what? She's never going to forgive me."

"Adrien, if you don't try, you're right! She won't, but prove to her that this time you're not going to give up so easily! This time show her that you will stop at nothing until you prove to her that you still love her and want to be with her!"

"How am I supposed to find her!?"

"How do you think, DUMBASS!?" Plagg shouted.

"Y-you're right! It's the only chance I got… Plagg, claws out!" He shouted.

Bridgette froze in shock as her employer transformed before her eyes into the famous "Savior of Paris," Chat Noir.

"S-Sir!?"

"I'm sorry, Bridgette, but I don't have time to explain." He shouted, running out the door and using his staff to launch him to a neighboring building.

He searched far and wide without luck, until he thought of something. Then, he headed to Le Grand Paris. He swiftly removed his disguise and came to the desk asking for his normal room.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Agreste, but another person booked it." The desk clerk explained.

"Was it a young woman with short black hair?"

"I can't disclose personal confidential information, Sir." He explained, though Adrien could see from his expression that he was correct in his question.

"Thank you." He said, exiting.

Once out of sight, he transformed again and used his staff to vault up to the upper floor.

He entered the room quietly and could see her sobbing on the bed… the same bed they had laid in ten years ago. He approached her careful and she spun around in shock. When she saw him, her tears increased as she demanded, "Go away!"

"Marinette, please!" He begged.

"No! You lied to me! This whole time it was you!? YOU!? I bet you got such a kick out of seeing me get so conflicted over my feelings for both of you when you knew why I was feeling that way! I bet you thought it would be so easy to just be the loving friend who aids a single mother, while hiding that you were Mirian's f*cking father!"

"Marinette, that's not true!"

"Then, what is the truth!?" She screamed, getting up and walking up to him.

"The truth is that I love you!" He shouted.

"Bullshit! You have only ever loved Ladybug, not me… not the real me!" She shouted.

"If you truly believe that then why the f*ck did you make love to me!?" He shot back, surprising her by his coarse vocabulary.

"Don't turn this on me! I made love to you because I love you, dammit! But you abandoned me!"

"I know I did, okay!? I know I did, and it's something I will regret for the rest of my life, but I wasn't in the right mind-set to see you… not after finding out who that monster really was under the mask… but after Plagg pushed me out of my grief, I went to our spot! I went here, and you were gone… but I still tried! I went back every single night for ten straight years, hoping you'd come back and forgive me. Then, you did in the most unexpected of places, and I learned that I hadn't just failed you… I'd left the world on your shoulders while you took on the responsibility from our choice alone. Marinette, I didn't know you were pregnant before you left. Still, it doesn't change the fact that in a single conversation I learned that not only were you Ladybug but that I was a father. Then, the only thing I could think to do was try to make up for lost time, but I was so worried if I just laid it all on you in that instance, you would do what you're doing now… assume that I was only reaching out to you because I was in love with the Ladybug half of you… but dammit, Marinette, the minute I found out that you were Ladybug, I felt complete. It was you; it always had to be you, and as I got to know you better again as Adrien and you as Marinette, I realized exactly why I loved you so much because as I said back at the start of it all, 'Whoever she is beneath that mask, I love that girl.'"

"You don't mean that…" She whimpered.

"I mean it from the bottom of my heart. I would sooner Cataclysm myself then lie about something like that, My Lady." He said, taking hold of her face and forcing her to look at him.

She saw that she wasn't the only one with tearstained cheeks and bloodshot eyes. Whimpering the last of her tears, she leaned forward and kissed him passionately. He froze in shock before succumbing to his emotions and desires and kissed her back like she'd disappear all over again.

As the kiss got more passionate, he lifted her up into his arms, and carried her to the bed before laying them both down and kissing her again.

"C-Chaton?" She whimpered amidst it all.

"Yah?" He whispered, nimbling on her ear.

"P-please, I want to see you… all of you."

"As you wish, My Lady." He whispered before muttering, "Plagg, claws in."

With these words, a wash of green light surrounded him before he lay beside her as Adrien Agreste. She smiled so fondly at him as she stroked his cheek.

"Are you disappointed it's me?" Adrien asked even though he knew the answer.

"Never… you are everything I ever wanted and more… and finally, I can enjoy that fact without feeling like I'm cheating on you with… you." She whispered, smirking.

"Very true. I love you, Marinette… My Princess, My Lady." He whispered, leaning forward to kiss her.

"I love you, too, Adrien… My Chaton, My Kitty." She whispered back.

With that, he pulled her into his arms, kissing her with the same passion he held the night they first made love. She followed him in this dance, kissing him, hugging him, and whispering sweet nothings in his ear. That night they made love rekindling the intimacy they first shared so many years prior. Afterwards, Marinette snuggled in Adrien's arms, while they caught their breath.

"Wow… I missed that, Kitty." She whispered.

"You don't know the half of it." He moaned, purring against her.

"See, I knew you were purring that day against Prime Queen." She chuckled.

"Could you blame me? Not only did I learn that you and I had kissed, but then, you had fallen into my arms in that instance. I couldn't help it." He chuckled.

"Well, I like it, Kitty." She whispered, combing her hands through his hair.

He smiled with her actions before slowly, flipping over and pulling her to his side, to enjoy the warmth of her body against his.

Some time passed of this before he sleepily heard, "I think I need to quit being your assistant."

He was shocked by her statement, yelping, "What!? D-don't you like working with me?"

"Of course, I do, Adrien; please don't misunderstand. B-but we kind of just confirmed both of the rumors tonight…" She giggled.

"True… but that doesn't mean you have to quit. I really did give you the job because I thought you were the perfect person for it."

"I know, but I'm worried how we stand, people aren't going to see it that way. I can handle the criticism, but I don't want them targeting Mirian."

"W-Well… um, I actually have a possibly solution to that so we can be together openly, and you don't have to quit helping with the company."

"Hmm, sounds like a dream come true… what's that?" She whispered, sleepily.

Suddenly he sat up, to her surprised, grabbing his jacket from the floor and yanking something from the pocket.

"What are you doing?" She asked, lying against the pillow.

Suddenly, he turned to her said, "Marry me…"

She froze in surprise and looked down at his hand which held a beautiful diamond and ruby engagement ring nestled inside a black box.

"A-Adrien, are you serious!?" She gasped.

"I have been waiting 15 years to ask this. Marinette Dupain-Cheng, the first time I met you was as Ladybug, and it was love at first sight. The first time I met you as Marinette, you hated me because of a misunderstanding…"

"I-I didn't hate you… I just thought you were like Chloe…" Marinette admitted.

"Still, your face as I offered you my umbrella was something I will never forget. A face of confusion and yet forgiveness… then you accidentally closed the umbrella on yourself, and I lost it. You were so cute, I couldn't help but laugh. Then we continued to grow. I didn't always know what to make of you considering you could be so confident and posed with others and then a stuttering, clumsy mess around me. Man, was I oblivious or what!? Still, I was glad to have your friendship as it continued to grow. Of course as Chat Noir, you were always on my mind as Ladybug, but I knew I was only seeing part of you, which is why I continued to push and push past that closed off section you hid from me. Then, that infamous night when you died in my arms. I was so angry with you when I realized you were okay. Why would you do that to me!? Then, you told me that you loved me, and I couldn't bear to let you go… so I didn't for that night. Then, I messed everything up, pushing everyone aside, my friends, my family, and you, to hide away from the world once we knew my father's secret life. And yet, ten years later, I meet you again, looking so beautiful and strong with our wonderful daughter beside you. Once I saw you then, I knew that I would sooner die then let you go again. So, I pushed myself back into your life, hoping that this time, neither of us would be alone again. Even then, I messed up, hurting you instead of healing with you, but you forgave me, yet again. So, Marinette Dupain-Cheng… Ladybug… will you make me the happiest man alive, by becoming my wife…?" He finished.

She felt tears rise up in her eyes as she whimpered, "Yes, Adrien, yes, I'll marry you!"

He smiled so purely at her as he pulled her into his arms and embraced her dearly.

"I love you."

"I love you too, Adrien…" She whispered, as he slipped the ring on her finger.

"Um… on a side note… where is our daughter?" Adrien asked.

"Oh, she's with Louis and his family… she wanted time alone, and I decided it was probably for the best considering everything."

"True… maybe we should get dressed and go check up on her…" Adrien suggested.

"You're probably right… gosh, I hope she'll forgive you, Adrien. She seemed really conflicted when I saw her."

Adrien sighed, feeling terrible about this, and muttered, "I just want to be a good father to her… she deserves the best out of me, and I've already failed her twice."

"Adrien, you may have disappointed her, but you are a good father. You've only known about her for roughly a month, and look what all you've done for her. You've given her a real home with her very own room, you've given her mother a career instead of an entry-level, minimum wage job, and you were willing to make a public notice about her, risking cut media ties for the sake of protecting her. She may not acknowledge it all now, but you are a good father."

"I just want to be a better father then my own." He admitted.

"Adrien, don't even compare the two. He is a misguided mentally-sick man who practically imprisoned his own son because he thought you'd disappear like his wife. He turned to a life of crime in an attempt to steal a power that he had no business controlling in an attempt to bring his wife back. He hurt several lives in the process, including you… So don't compare yourself to him. That's too low of a standard, and you've already exceeded it tenfold in the month you've known yourself to be a father."

"I guess… also, he told me tonight that he knew about the sacrifice required to grant his ultimate wish… he didn't care. In his own words, 'No cost was too great to get her back.'" Adrien explained.

"Jeez! It's a good thing, he never succeeded." Marinette hissed.

"Anyway, let's go. Whether she forgives me or not, I just want to make sure she's okay. I know that Louis is taking good care of her, but I just need to see it for myself since she's been gone all night." He sighed.

Marinette nodded as they got up, got dressed, and headed out. This earned them some confused looks from the desk clerk who had earlier denied Adrien access.

"Looks like you found who you were looking for." He muttered.

"What can I say? When it's important enough, I will always find My Lady." Adrien said, earning a smack from Marinette at his subtle jab.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter Twelve- Forever a Father

They knocked on the front door of Louis's house. They heard some shuffling before someone ran to the door and shouted through it, "Who is it?"

"Louis, it's me, Ms. Dupain-Cheng…"

With that, the doorknob jingled before he opened the door. Then he saw, Adrien and growled, "What is he doing here!?"

"Louis, he just wants to see that Mirian is okay… will you let us in?"

"I'll let you in, Ms. Dupain-Cheng, but I don't know about him. Mirian doesn't want to see you, Mr. Agreste. I can't believe I looked up to you for all these years just to learn that you're nothing but a liar!" Louis shouted.

"Louis, that is enough!" A woman called before walking up to the door and saying, "Marinette, M-Mr. Agreste, please come in."

"Thanks, Patricia. Is she up in Louis's room?" Marinette muttered to Mrs. Augustin.

"Yes, poor dear looked so exhausted when she came, all teary-eyed and worn out. We feed her some dinner and set up the guest room in case she was staying for the night."

"Okay, thanks again, Patricia."

"And you, Louis, apologize to Mr. Agreste. Whether or not you think you're justified, I didn't raise you to speak to your elders like that."

"He made Mirian cry! I'm sorry if I value her friendship over his." Louis grumbled.

"I'm sorry, Louis. You're right. I haven't been a good father to Mirian… I don't expect you to respect me, neither as Adrien Agreste nor Chat Noir. However, I really do love Mirian and her mother, so I hope that I can make amends with her. Nonetheless, my main priority tonight is to assure she's safe and sound. Last I saw her was dinner at my home before she went to her room upset."

"Fine, let's go up… I still don't like you."

"I'll be honest; I'm not sure I like you either."

"Adrien!?" Marinette moaned.

"What!? He likes my daughter; so sorry, that makes him in the grey area of friend and enemy." Adrien muttered.

"Err, wh-what!? I-I don't like…err… she's just a—."

"A Friend?" Adrien muttered with a quirked eyebrow. "If so, why do you use the pet name I used for my partner as your nickname for her?"

"A lot of people like Ladybug and Chat Noir…"

"Yah, but you don't call her 'Buginette' or 'Bugaboo'. You call Mirian, 'My Lady'. You can't trump the King of 'she's-just-a-friend'… me, so don't act so innocent." Adrien smirked.

Louis blushed and grumbled under his breath as he guided them up to his room. He knocked on the door, muttering, "Mirian, you have a visitor."

She opened the door and froze when she saw Adrien. She was about to slam shut the door when Marinette stopped her.

"Mama, I don't understand. Why is he here?" She muttered.

"He wanted to make sure you were okay. Unlike me, he never got the chance to make sure you were safe after you ran off like that."

"Well, I'm fine. He can leave now." She muttered, bitterly.

"If you don't want to see me tonight, that's fine. If you don't want to talk, then I hope you'll listen to me speak to you through the door. Or if you want to scream, I'll sit and listen… but you deserve the truth from me, and up until now I haven't given it to you." Adrien insisted.

She sighed, sitting on Louis's bed, but leaving the door open. Adrien and Marinette followed in to sit beside her.

"Wh-why didn't you just tell me?" She whimpered, tears appearing again.

Adrien's heart broke at this and he whispered, "That was unintentionally cruel of me. I'm so sorry you had to find out from a monster like him."

"My grandfather…" She added.

"Yes, but at least your grandparents on your mother's side are wonderful, loving people… and if my mom ever comes back, I'd hope you'd find her to be loving and wonderful too."

"You didn't answer my question, by the way…"

"You're right. Sorry… honestly, Mirian, I've only known for a month now that I am a father, and while it is amazing to know you and be with you now, I know that it doesn't make up for the past nine years you've been without me. While I didn't know, it doesn't change the fact that I should have been there for you, and I wasn't. I was afraid that if I simply outed myself to you and your mother as your father, you two would either not believe me or feel like I was a complete stranger. I wanted you two to see me and get to know me before I dropped such a mental bomb on you two. Furthermore, I was worried once I learned that Marinette was Ladybug that she wouldn't believe my love for her was genuine since I'd fallen for the Ladybug side of her first. I wanted to show her that I loved all of her before I admitted that I was the man behind the mask. But… in the end, I caused more pain than good. I don't expect you to forgive me right away, but I hope in time you will. This past month as your father has been the best month of my life, and I hope one day you can come to accept me as your father." He explained.

"You love my mama?"

"More than anyone, but you are pretty darn close to that level." He said with a wink.

She blushed and whimpered, "This is all so overwhelming. One minute I'm meeting you as the man we moved to Italy to protect, and then the next, we're moving in with you. Which, it's been amazing. But then, people start spreading rumors around at school that I'm your illegitimate child who you brought into your household because you started an affair with my mama. I knew it wasn't true all the things they were saying, but I didn't like that they were saying such mean things about my mama. I want so badly to tell people who my father is, but I can't because if I say the name Chat Noir, Mama is revealed to the world as Ladybug."

"You don't have to go through that if you want because I am going to make a formal announcement confirming that you're my daughter, and as for your mother… if you will permit it… I plan to marry her." He explained.

Mirian froze in shock and then noticed the ring on her mother's finger.

"When did this happen!?" She yelped.

"Tonight, after I forgave him… Mirian, I know this overwhelming, but in Adrien's defense, he didn't know I was pregnant when I left to Italy… Now, he's trying to make things right."

"So the reason you didn't meet Mama is because you found out your father was Hawkmoth?"

"Yes, as stupid as that sounds now looking back on it, I wanted to hide from the world because finding out it was him, broke my heart. However, it broke my heart worse when I realized that I had left Ladybug alone. I tried to meet her… but it was too late. She was gone. So I went back each night for ten years, and of all the places, I met you two outside my corporate office. Once I saw you two, I didn't want to ever let you two go again."

"S-so, you want to marry my mother?"

"Yes."

"And you want to be my father?"

"Absolutely."

She sighed and hugged him, saying, "It's gonna take some time to see you as my father, but you make my Mama happy, so… I also want you to marry her."

"Really!?" He whispered, joyfully.

"Yes, and FYI, I want to see you as Chat Noir at least once… I want to see why Mama thought you were all Mr. Suave and stuff."

"Mirian!?" Marinette moaned, blushing.

Adrien chuckled and said, "I guess I can do it at least once as long as we are within the comfort of our own home. Oh… um, guys, I figured I should introduce you to my kwami… This is Plagg."

"Plagg? Is that what you were talking about when you said that name a while ago?" Marinette muttered.

"Yah, it slipped out. Plagg, I'd like to officially introduce you to my fiancée and my daughter. Mirian, Marinette, this is Plagg." Adrien said, letting Plagg out of his pocket.

"Jeez, when we get home, you owe me big time on the Camembert. I haven't been used to transform you in so long. I'm out of shape. Hello, you two, I'm Plagg."

"Nice to meet you, Plagg." Marinette muttered, staring at the little kwami.

"Nice to meet you, Mr. Plagg." Mirian muttered, shaking his little hand.

"So where's Tikki? I wanna talk to her. It's been a while since I last saw her."

"I'm here, Plagg. Wait, where's Nooroo?" Tikki asked.

"I'm right here. Jeez, Ms. Mirian, a little more warning when you take me to see that man. It still gives me chills to recall having him as my miraculous holder…" Nooroo muttered.

"Sorry, Nooroo. I knew it was the only way I could sneak out undetected." Mirian apologized.

"That's the other thing, Mirian; you scared us so much. Why were you corresponding with that monster!? What if he didn't know Chat Noir's identity? He could've possibly hurt you, or worse, tonight he could have attempted to steal the butterfly miraculous from you, which could have been catastrophic!" Marinette muttered, causing Adrien to chuckle at the unintentional pun. "Shut it, Adrien! Now's not the time."

"Sorry, you're right… Mirian, I know that it's partially my fault, but please, don't ever do something like this again. I was so worried that you could possibly be hurt or killed, and furthermore, I don't want that man within a mile of you."

"He's my grandfather… I don't think I can entirely ignore him."

"Maybe not, but if there is ever a reason to meet him again, it will be with me or Marinette present, because I will not let him hurt you."

"Okay, Mr. Agreste…err, I mean—."

"It's okay. It's going to take time. Just address me as is comfortable for you and we'll go from there. I don't expect you to call me 'Papa' or something at the drop of a hat."

"Thank you."

"For now, can we all go home, or would you still prefer to stay the night here?"

"I kind of just want a night alone to process everything."

"Okay, as long as it is fine with your mother, it's fine with me."

"It's fine with me." Marinette muttered.

"Okay… then I guess we'll be heading out. Goodnight, Mirian."

"G-goodnight, Mr. Agreste."

"Goodnight, Minou…" Marinette muttered, kissing her good-bye.

"Bye, Mama." Mirian muttered, as they heading out.

With these words, Marinette and Adrien began to leave. Louis stopped them, muttering, "M-Mr. Agreste…?"

"Yes, Louis?"

"I know I'm too young to understand everything that's happened with you three, but let me say something from the heart, please."

"Go ahead, Louis."

"I… I care for your daughter dearly. I think of her as one of my closest friends and… I might even feel more for her as you said, b-but because of that, I want her to be happy. So, please, from now on… promise me you will make her happy and feel safe! Be the Chat Noir I always admired you to be!"

Adrien was at a loss of words from this young boy's mature words, but managed to nod and say, "That's a promise I intend to keep with every fiber of my being, Louis Augustin."

"Good… then, maybe in time, I might grow to like you again, Chat Noir."

Adrien smirked and said, "I'm glad… but I have a feeling I'm gonna have a hard time growing to like you as well considering you might one day take my daughter away from me."

Louis groaned blushing, but muttered, "Fine… then I guess, we're mutual in our dislike of each other."

"Yep." Adrien said with a wink as Marinette sighed and they headed out.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter Thirteen-New Beginnings

The day was a rainy day. It was not the most ideal forecast for the day's events, but Adrien and Marinette wouldn't have it any other way, remembering the day a certain young blond offered his umbrella to his dark-haired classmate almost 16 years ago.

"Girl, are you ready? Everyone is waiting." Alya asked her blushing friend.

"You're one to talk, Soon-to-Be-Mrs. Lahiffe." Marinette teased back making her best friend blush as well.

"I think I'm as ready as I'll ever be." Alya muttered, taking a deep breath.

"G-good, then, let's go." Marinette said taking in a breath as well.

The music echoed through the church as two elegant women walked towards the two dashing men standing at the end of the aisle. Both men held similar reactions of pure adoration for the beautiful women in front of them, before gathering their bride to their arm and turned to the minister.

"Nino, Alya, thank you again for offering to share your big day with us." Adrien whispered.

"We have been in this together since the beginning, regardless of the face we wore at the time, so it only makes sense to me for us to be together in the start of the new chapter of our lives." Alya muttered.

"I couldn't agree more." Nino said with a gentle smile.

"Do you, Adrien Agreste, take Marinette Dupain-Cheng to be your lawfully wedded wife, to have and to hold, in sickness and in heath, in good times and woe, for richer or poorer, keeping yourself solely unto her for as long as you both shall live? If so, answer, 'I Do.'" The minister asked.

"I do." Adrien said with the sunshine-like smile Marinette loved so much.

"Do you, Marinette Dupain-Cheng, take Adrien Agreste to be your lawfully wedded husband, to have and to hold, in sickness and in heath, in good times and woe, for richer or poorer, keeping yourself solely unto him for as long as you both shall live? If so, answer, 'I Do.'"

"I do." Marinette replied, holding back tears.

"And to our other beautiful couple… Do you, Nino Lahiffe, take Alya Cesaire to be your lawfully wedded wife, to have and to hold, in sickness and in heath, in good times and woe, for richer or poorer, keeping yourself solely unto her for as long as you both shall live? If so, answer, 'I Do.'"

"Oh, I certainly do." Nino said with the biggest grin, making Alya giggle lightly.

"Do you, Alya Cesaire, take Nino Lahiffe to be your lawfully wedded husband, to have and to hold, in sickness and in heath, in good times and woe, for richer or poorer, keeping yourself solely unto him for as long as you both shall live? If so, answer, 'I Do.'"

"I do." Alya said, squeezing Nino's hand.

After exchanging rings, the minister smiled and announced, "By the authority vested in me, I now pronounce you both man and wife, and what God hath joined together, let no man nor woman put asunder."

Everyone clapped at the two couples and soon after a reception was held to celebrate their unions. Everyone dances and partied into the night. The DJ of the group placed his headphones down that night to hold his dear wife close, and the former model couldn't help but cement his opinion that his wife was the one deserving of being a model as she danced in her gorgeous wedding dress, a Marinette Dupain-Cheng original of course. In between songs danced with Marinette, though, he took hold of the other important girl in his life. Mirian giggled as he spun her around in circles. Of course, he was a lot more hesitant to hand her over when a certain young boy asked her for a dance, but he begrudgingly agreed, eyeing Louis for a good minute each time. Everything was perfect. As they danced, Adrien smirked and whispered, "I told you that your dancing was good as your baking."

She giggled and said, "Then, stop yapping, and dance with me, Chaton."

He chuckled and nodded, adding, "But first, I need to do this…"

With those words he dipped down to capture her lips with his own.

"I love you, Adrien Agreste."

"I love you too, Marinette Agreste." He said with a wink.

"Maybe I want to stay a 'Dupain-Cheng'." She smirked.

"Maybe, but until you decide, I'm calling you, 'Mrs. Agreste'." He smirked.

"Fair enough." She whispered, leaning up to kiss him again. "Besides, I like the sound of that, anyway. I might even say it sounds paws-itively purrfect."

"Never have I ever heard sexier words before, mon amour." He grinned.

It had been 16 years since the two of them first met and almost 11 years since that fateful day that they made love, thus creating new life in the form of their beautiful daughter. Their lives had been a rollercoaster of emotions, but in the end, they were brought back together in ways that only miraculous fate could have destined. Now, they could enter the next part of their lives together with excitement and love, knowing that through all things, they had each other.

The End


End file.
